


Spiderfall's Peace

by fireplanetz



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: A Vision of Shadows never happened, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, I hate AVoS so lets pretend this happened instead, Spiderfall, Takes place after Omen of the Stars, Tigerheart and Dovewing's daughter, please give it a chance, will add more tags soon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-19
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2019-08-25 20:23:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16667701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fireplanetz/pseuds/fireplanetz
Summary: Set just a few moons after the Great Flood, StarClan has prophecised a dark future for the daughter of Dovewing and Tigerheart, and for the state of the Clans as they know it. Growing up in ShadowClan, will Spiderkit be able to escape her destiny, or will war bring an end to the Warrior Clans?-This story takes place in an alternate timeline after the events of Bramblestar’s Storm. The events of The Apprentices Quest never happen, resulting in several characters in A Vision of Shadows series not appearing in this story. Clarifications and alterations to the timeline will be noted in every chapter.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> ALLEGIANCES
> 
>  
> 
>  **SHADOWCLAN**  
>  Leader: **Rowanstar** \- ginger tom  
>  **(Apprentice: Oakpaw)**
> 
> Deputy: **Crowfrost** \- black-and-white tom
> 
> Medicine cat(s): **Littlecloud** \- very small tabby tom  
> Warriors:  
>  **Tawnypelt** \- tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes  
>  **(Apprentice: Sparrowpaw)**  
>  **Owlclaw** \- light brown tabby tom  
>  **Scorchfur** \- dark gray tom  
>  **(Apprentice: Aspenpaw)**  
>  **Tigerheart** \- dark brown tabby tom  
>  **(Apprentice: Finchpaw)**  
>  **Pinenose** \- black she-cat  
>  **(Apprentice: Ravenpaw)**  
>  **Grassheart** \- pale brown tabby she-cat  
>  **Snowbird** \- pure-white she-cat  
>  **(Apprentice: Spiderpaw)**  
>  **Toadfoot** \- dark brown tom  
>  **(Apprentice: Mistpaw)**  
>  **Dawnpelt** \- cream-furred she-cat
> 
> Apprentices:  
>  **Oakpaw** \- dark brown tabby tom  
>  **Aspenpaw** \- dark red tom  
>  **Sparrowpaw** \- golden tom  
>  **Finchpaw** \- cream colored she-cat  
>  **Ravenpaw** \- tortoiseshell she-cat  
>  **Spiderpaw** \- tabby she-cat  
>  **Mistpaw** \- dark ginger she-cat
> 
> Queens:  
> * **Ivytail** \- black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat  
> (mother to Mistkit and foster-mother to Spiderkit)  
> * **Stoatfur** \- tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat  
> (mother to Sparrowkit, Finchkit, and Ravenkit)
> 
> Elders:  
>  **Ratscar** \- brown tom with long scar across his back  
>  **Oakfur** \- small brown tom  
>  **Smokefoot** \- black tom  
>  **Kinkfur** \- tabby she-cat, with long fur that sticks out at all angles
> 
> ** Ivytail has been moved to the position as warrior rather than elder.  
> ** Stoatfur is a she-cat, rather than a tom.  
> ** Toadfoot is alive, rather than deceased as noted in Bramblestar’s Storm.
> 
> _____________________________

Prologue

 

“The first one is coming.”

Ivypool glanced over her shoulder, alarm sparking in her blue eyes. She stood at the top of a grassy slope that led down to the shore of the lake, where the fronds of undergrowth faded into a beach of pebbles. An almost full moon hung over the lake, turning the rippling water silver. At the bottom of the slope, her sister, Dovewing, lay on her side, her swollen belly heaving as Jayfeather leaned over her. She let out a low moan as her belly rippled, and the ThunderClan medicine cat rested a paw on her flank, helping her push.

Giving one last glance into the forest around them, Ivypool gave up her watch and padded down the slope. She leaned down by her sister’s head and licked her between the ears. “You’re doing great, my sister.” She whispered in Dovewing’s ear.

“What in the name of StarClan was she even doing out in the middle of the night?” Jayfeather growled, his blue eyes flashing as he turned his blind gaze on Ivypool. Not for the first time, Ivypool had the strange sensation that he could see her, even though she knew he couldn’t.

“W-we went for a walk. She wanted to stretch her legs.” She explained, wincing at the lie. There was no way she could tell the medicine cat the real reason why they were out.

Ever since Dovewing told her that she was expecting Tigerheart’s kits, Ivypool insisted on escorting her to their moonlight meetings. She wanted to make sure that she could protect her sister in case a ShadowClan patrol found them, or if the kits came early - like they had. Dovewing’s kits weren’t due for another quarter moon, but the pains had started as they padded on the shore of the lake towards the ShadowClan border. Ivypool had dashed back to camp in a panic, darting past Cloudtail, who was on watch, without a word.

Every cat had been asleep, and Jayfeather was the first cat Ivypool saw when she reached the medicine den, curled up asleep in his nest. Together, they’d darted out of camp, telling Cloudtail that the kits were coming, but not to wake anyone unless something went wrong.

Ivypool jolted back to the present as her sister let out a high pitched moan, panting heavily as her belly rippled. She watched as a tiny bundle of fur dropped onto the pebble shore, and Jayfeather quickly snatched it up and began licking its fur to make it start breathing. Ivypool held her breath as she watched the bundle lie still, her heart pounding in her ears as the moment seemed to last for several seasons. Then, at last, the kit let out a high pitched mew, revealing a set of tiny white teeth.

“Oh, Dovewing!” Ivypool exclaimed, feeling her heart swell, “She’s beautiful!”

Her sister lifted her head as Jayfeather placed the kit at her belly, but fell back with a yowl of pain as her flanks heaved. The medicine cat placed a paw on her flank. “There’s one more kit coming.” He warned.

Within moments, another bundle fell onto the shore, and Jayfeather passed the kit to Ivypool as he began chewing the herbs he’d brought into a pulp for Dovewing. Ivypool felt the kit’s slimy fur under her tongue as she dried his fur, relieved when she realized it was already breathing. Picking it up by its scruff, she placed the kit at Dovewing’s flank beside its sister.

“Congratulations.” Jayfeather mumbled as he spat out the pulp, “A she-cat and a tom.”

Despite her exhaustion, Dovewing lifted her head and gazed at her kits, her eyes clouding with emotion. She leaned down and licked them both between the ears, purring as she felt them snuggle close to her belly.

“The tom looks just like you.” Ivypool commented, resting her paw on the tom’s fluffy, solid gray pelt.

His sister mewled beside him, and Ivypool couldn’t help but notice that she was a perfect image of her father. Her pelt was a dark brown tabby, and she had the same long, fluffy tail. Despite her newfound love for the she-kit, she felt a cold stone of dread form in her belly. Every cat would know who her father was the moment they saw her. Even though Dovewing had kept her relationship with Tigerheart a secret for many moons, their clanmates weren’t stupid. She knew many of them had noticed the closeness between the two cats, even if none of them suspected how close they _really_ were.

Although he was blind, Jayfeather had turned his blue gaze on the she-kit, so intensely that Ivypool believed he might actually be looking at her. Ivypool tensed as he leaned forward to sniff the kit, his whiskers brushing against the kit’s fluffy pelt. As she watched, the gray medicine cat’s eyes flew open, though his gaze seemed distant. His entire body had gone rigid, and his tail kinked over his back in alarm.

Dovewing noticed too, her eyes wide with alarm as she watched him, but before she could speak, Jayfeather turned away, casting his gaze over his shoulder towards the lake. Ivypool was just close enough to hear him whisper, “ _StarClan help us._ ”

There was a moment of silence, only broken by the sound of water rippling on the lake surface. “Jayfeather, what did you see?” Dovewing asked softly, and Ivypool realized that the medicine cat must have seen a vision. Her heart pounded in her chest as Jayfeather was silent, eyes still trained on the rippling water of the lake behind him. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off when he swivelled his head to face them.

“StarClan have shown me something terrible.” He whispered, and Ivypool had never seen him look so frightened. “Fire. Fire everywhere. And blood. The forest soaked in it, running through the trees like the lake was flooding. Angry claws ripping the flesh of those that had wronged them. The Clans at war that will bring the end to everything we know.”

“W-what does it mean?” Ivypool breathed.

Jayfeather closed his eyes, “Your kit is in danger, Dovewing. She can not return to ThunderClan with us.”

“ _What_ ?!” Dovewing and Ivypool exclaimed in unison, exchanging a horrified glance. Dovewing’s eyes flashed with rage, and she curled her lip into a snarl. “How _dare_ you say that? You want me to abandon my kits?”

“No, Dovewing.” Jayfeather opened his eyes again, suddenly looking very old. “You must abandon one kit - your daughter.” Dovewing opened her mouth in an outraged reply, but Jayfeather continued before she could speak. “StarClan have shown me the life she would have in ThunderClan. I-I saw everything. Her path would be lost in shadow. Her life would be nothing but a river of pain, anger, and hatred. She can _not_ come back to ThunderClan.”

“You’re asking me to give up my daughter because you say so?” Dovewing’s voice shook, though there was no trace of spite in it, and Ivypool was suddenly aware of the bond between her sister and the medicine cat. If any other cat had told her to abandon one of her kits, Dovewing would have clawed their ears off. As two of the Three, Ivypool realized that they shared a bond she would never understand. Dovewing had been friends with Jayfeather for a long time, and she knew that he wouldn’t be telling her this unless he was absolutely certain. “What do you expect me to do? Leave her to starve? Kill her? Drive her out?”

Jayfeather scoffed, “No. She has a father, doesn’t she? She will be safe in ShadowClan.”

Ivypool gasped, digging her claws into the pebbles to keep herself from swaying. “H-how did you-”

“I’m not as blind as you think.” Jayfeather snapped, his eyes blazing. “I can no longer read thoughts or walk in your dreams, but I knew Dovewing’s heart belonged to a cat from another clan. You are my friend, Dovewing. I notice these things.”

“I told everyone Bumblestripe was their father.” Dovewing whispered, her eyes like two huge moons filled with fear and uncertainty.

“That is _exactly_ why she can not come back with us!” The force of fury in Jayfeather’s words was so strong that Ivypool shrunk back, ears flat against her head. She thought a flicker of fear flashed in his eyes, but it was gone before she could be sure. “Bumblestripe is a noble, kind warrior, but jealousy is his weakness. Every cat will know the moment they see her that she is Tigerheart’s kit. I saw her in my vision. She looks alike him in every way. Bumblestripe is not stupid, Dovewing. He has always known about your connection with Tigerheart. StarClan can not be certain the path he will choose if he finds out she is Tigerheart’s kit, but lives have been threatened before by cats driven mad by jealousy.”

Suddenly Ivypool understood Jayfeather’s fear. Why he was terrified when StarClan showed him their vision. “You know this because it happened to you, didn’t it?”

Jayfeather closed his eyes, the fur rippling along his spine. “I know it very well, Ivypool. Many moons ago, before you two were even kitted, Ashfur tried to murder my littermates and I. He was driven mad by his jealousy of Bramblestar, who Squirrelflight chose over Ashfur as her mate. He believed that we were Squirrelflight’s kits, and it was only when he found out the truth that he let us live. Ashfur was a great warrior, but he let himself be drawn towards the wrong path. StarClan fears the same could happen with Bumblestripe.”

There was a moment of silence between the two sisters. Ivypool glanced at Dovewing, who was gazing at her kits with a look of overwhelming love, and fear. Fear for her daughter, who StarClan was asking her to give up moments after she was born. Ivypool wasn’t sure that Dovewing would have the strength to give up her kit.

“How do we know Tigerheart will take her?” Ivypool whispered. She saw Dovewing flinch at her words, but she said nothing.

“He will, trust me.” Jayfeather replied, gazing at Ivypool so intensely that she had no choice but to believe him.

* * *

 

A shadow flitted through the undergrowth, the light from the moon doing little to illuminate the forest floor, obstructed by a canopy of thick leaves from the trees above. An owl called in the silent forest, though it’s cry was not returned. A stick cracked as the shadow passed between a clump of ferns.

The undergrowth parted and Tigerheart emerged from the shadows into a moonlit clearing. His brown tabby fur was bleached silver in the moonlight, and he turned his amber eyes toward the glowing disc overhead. The moon was nearly full, but the Gathering would not be held for a few days yet.

The tom settled onto the grass, wrapping his tail around his paws as he waited, ears pricked. The forest was silent, and he was alert for any sound that came from the woods beyond.

Tigerheart was not sure how long he sat in the clearing, only aware of the sound of his own heartbeat pulsing in his ear fur. Although he had been meeting Dovewing like this for many moons, the anticipation of seeing the cat he loved always sent his heart racing. He glanced back up towards the sky, a feeling of unease rippling his pelt as he saw that the moon had almost slipped behind the trees. Where was she? Had something happened to her? Had the kits come?

He was almost certain that he would have to turn back to camp when he heard a rustling in the bushes. Leaping to his paws, tail kinked over his back in excitement, he watched as a she-cat emerged from the undergrowth.

“Ivypool?” A feeling of dread formed in his belly, and Tigerheart took a step backwards, almost slipping onto his romp. “Where is Dovewing? Is she okay? Are the kits okay?”

The silver and white she-cat padded into the clearing, her blue eyes narrowed as she gazed at the tom. “Dovewing is fine. I have come to tell you that you have two kits - a she-cat and a tom.”

Tigerheart felt his chest swell with relief, almost losing his balance as his tail swayed. “That’s _wonderful_! I can’t believe it! The kits weren’t due for another quarter moon! Is that why she couldn’t come? She must be exhausted!”

Ivypool raised her tail to cut off Tigerheart’s flurry of questions. “That is part of the reason why Dovewing didn’t come. We were on our way to meet you when the pains came. Jayfeather came to help and she delivered the kits on the lakeshore. They are two fine, healthy kits. Dovewing loves them more than she can bear.”

Tigerheart felt his heart leap in his chest. He had two kits! But Ivypool’s words unsettled him. “That’s only part of the reason why she didn’t come? What is the other reason?”

Ivypool hesitated, shifting her paws and avoiding his gaze. Tigerheart stepped towards her, his heart pounding in his chest so hard that he was sure she could hear it. “You said she’s okay, right? Did your clanmates find out they were mine? Did Jayfeather tell them? How would he know? Did they forbid her from coming?”

“No, no cat knows. They still believe they are Bumblestripe’s.” Ivypool began, letting out a deep breath. “I have come here to ask you something that Dovewing can not do herself.”

Before Tigerheart could speak, she turned around and vanished into the undergrowth. The ferns rustled for a few moments before Ivypool emerged again, carrying something in her jaws.

“Is that- Great StarClan! Ivypool, is that one of the kits?” Tigerheart leapt forward, pressing his nose against the kit as Ivypool placed it on the ground. Her fur was still wet and her eyes were squeezed shut. She looked very small, and Tigerheart had the urge to curl his tail around the she-kit to warm and protect her, but he held his ground. “Why have you brought her here? She’s a newborn, for StarClan’s sake! She should be with Dovewing! She’ll starve out here.”

“Tigerheart, look at her. Look at her tabby pelt.” Ivypool spoke, her voice shaking slightly, “The entire clan will know she is yours the moment they see her. J-Jayfeather had a vision by the lake. He saw the Clan turning on her. He saw her life ruined by evil. He said that this kit can not live in ThunderClan. You _must_ take her to ShadowClan - where she will be safe." 

Tigerheart stared at her, dumbfounded. His ears were ringing, and he shook his head to clear it. He couldn’t have possibly heard Ivypool correctly. “Y-you must be mistaken. Dovewing would _never_ be able to abandon her kit. You said she loves them more than she can bear! How can I trust Jayfeather? He’s not my medicine cat? I haven’t forgotten what happened with Flametail.”

Ivypool’s eyes flashed with anger, and she curled her lip into a snarl. “You _know_ that Flametail’s death was an accident. Jayfeather did everything he could to save your brother! Jayfeather was one of the Three, he saved us all! You _have_ to trust him.” She curled her tail around the pitiful she-kit before she continued, “That is why I brought the kit here. Dovewing knows that she has to give up her daughter, but she did not have the strength to come here herself. She loves her daughter too much. She would be blinded by that love into keeping this kit. We _must_ ensure that this kit grows up in ShadowClan. StarClan has prophesied an end to us all if we fail.”

Tigerheart was about to speak, but he was distracted by a movement at Ivypool’s tail. The she-kit had lifted her head, her mouth open as if tasting the scents of the cats around her. Weak mews came from her throat, and Tigerheart knew that they must act fast. As he gazed at his daughter, a flurry of images erupted in his mind. Watching his daughter grow up, teaching her everything he knew, guiding her pawsteps, and protecting her with a fierceness he had never felt before. Ivypool was giving him the chance to be a part of his daughter’s life.

“I’ll take her.” Tigerheart whispered, leaning down to touch noses to the little kit. He suddenly understood how hard this decision must have been for Dovewing - not one that she would have made lightly. She needed him to raise their daughter.

“Thank you, Tigerheart.” Ivypool sounded relieved and she stepped backwards, giving Tigerheart room to take his daughter.

He opened his mouth to pick up the little kit by her scruff, but stopped as a question popped into his mind. He lifted his head, his eyes locking with Ivypool’s. “You said I had a son. T-tell me about him. Please.”

Ivypool’s gaze softened. “He is beautiful. He looks just like his mother, and his fur is a soft gray. Dovewing named him Dustkit.”

“Dustkit.” Tigerheart echoed, an image of his son forming in his mind. “What did she name our daughter?”

“She wanted to let you name her. Though she said that the stripes on her back intertwined just like a spider web.”

Tigerheart looked down at the kit, who had snuggled up against one of his paws and was purring contently. His gaze travelled to the stripes criss-crossing the fur on his daughter’s pelt, and he purred. “Then I’ll name her Spiderkit. Tell Dovewing that I will take care of our daughter. I will raise her to be a strong, kind, and honorable warrior.”

He thought he caught a glimpse of water sparkling in Ivypool’s eyes as she stepped backwards towards the ThunderClan side of the forest. She dipped her head, eyes landing on Spiderkit once more before the ThunderClan warrior turned and disappeared into the forest.

With a grunt, Tigerheart leaned down and picked up his daughter gently in his teeth. Turning his paws towards camp, he felt an odd sense of peace overwhelm him. He didn’t care how his clanmates reacted to the kit. He would make up some story, and they would believe him - he was sure. He was going to give this kit the best life he could.

“Welcome to ShadowClan, Spiderkit.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta'd by [wickedbad](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedbad/pseuds/wickedbad)!

_A she-cat stood alone in a hollow of stone. It surrounded her on all sides, stretching high above her head, too far out of reach to climb. It was dark, with only light from the claw scratch shaped moon to reveal her surroundings. Shadows creeped at the edges of her vision, wavering like waves of black cats prowling around her._

_A steady roaring reached her ears, and as she watched, fire erupted in the hollow around her. It spread through the shadows, casting a red hot light on her, crackling like the sound of breaking bones._

_The she-cat wailed in terror, her amber eyes reflecting the deadly blaze. Walls of bright, hot flame surrounded her on all sides, trapping her like prey. She glanced over her shoulder, fur standing on end, trying to find a way out._

_“StarClan, help me!” She yowled, looking up at the smoky night sky, desperate for her ancestors to save her._

_Suddenly, the flames parted, revealing a massive, shadowy figure. It appeared black against the light of the fire, bigger than a lion. As it neared, she was able to see the silhouette of a cat prowling towards her. Its eyes were black and its jaws were parted to reveal sharp, deadly teeth. Then, the cat leapt at her, claws outstretched._

Spiderkit’s eyes flew open, her breath coming out in shallow, terrified gasps. The flames had disappeared, replaced by the strong den walls of the ShadowClan nursery. Brambles and hazel branches criss-crossed over her head, providing a sturdy roof to the den and allowing slivers of light from the morning sky to provide light into the dark den. As she recovered from her dream, she felt the fur along her spine begin to lay flat and her racing heart slowed to a more steady beat.

Beside her she could feel the warm pelt of Mistkit, who slumbered peacefully in their shared nest. Spiderkit turned her head to look at her, her eyes taking in the comforting sight of Mistkit’s dark red tabby pelt. The freezing air billowed out from Mistkit’s muzzle as she snored, and Spiderkit snuggled deeper into her nest to fight the chill. _I’d rather be cold than surrounded by those horrible flames,_ she thought.

“Spiderkit?”

She lifted her head, looking up at the she-cat in the nest beside her and Mistkit. Ivytail was blinking sleepily, apparently just having woken up. Her black-and-white tortoiseshell fur glowed in the dim light, looking at Spiderkit with warm, yellow eyes. “You were whimpering in your sleep. Did you have a bad dream?”

Spiderkit kneaded absently at the moss in her nest, working her thorn sharp claws through it to soften the bedding. “Y-yes. It was just a dream.”

Ivytail leaned forward and rasped her tongue over the kit’s head. She purred at the warmth in the queen’s touch. Spiderkit knew that Ivytail wasn’t her real mother; only fostering the kit because Spiderkit’s father, Tigerheart, had asked her to. But Ivytail had never complained about feeding and caring for the kit - especially after her two other kits died, leaving Mistkit as the last of her litter.

As the queen groomed her head, Spiderkit glanced around the nursery. The den where the kits and their mothers slept was under a patch of low-hanging brambles and hazel branches. On the opposite side of the nursery, Stoatfur and her kits were still sleeping in their nest.

The tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat lay on her side with her three kits sprawled in the moss beside her. Sparrowkit, Finchkit, and Ravenkit were two moons older than her and nearly twice her size. They would be apprenticed soon and Spiderkit and Mistkit would be the only kits left in the nursery.

Ivytail pulled away and rested her head back in her nest. Spiderkit raised herself to her paws and turned to the she-cat. “Can I go outside?” She mewed.

Ivytail grunted, but didn't open her eyes. “Are your clanmates in the clearing?”

Spiderkit pricked her ears, listening. There was a strange stillness that hung in the clearing outside the den, but as she listened she could hear muffled voices. She recognized the voice of the ShadowClan deputy, Crowfrost, as he called the names of her clanmates.

“Crowfrost is assigning patrols.” Spiderkit informed Ivytail.

“Okay. Don’t go farther than the clearing.”

Within moments, Ivytail’s breathing had slowed down as she sunk back into sleep. Spiderkit delicately stepped around Mistkit’s sleeping form, careful not to wake her. Quietly, she padded to the entrance of the den and peered out.

Instantly, her eyes flew open in surprise. Past the brambles snaking across the entrance, the clearing of the ShadowClan camp had been turned completely white. A strange, powdery substance covered the ground and, as she wriggled out from between the thorns, she felt freezing crystals embed themselves into her soft paw pads.

Spiderkit let her gaze travel across the camp, taking in how the strange whiteness had changed it. The camp was hollowed gap between the pine trees that arched high overhead, their leaves still in full leaf in the middle of leafbare. A thick wall of brambles encircled the camp, protecting it and keeping it well concealed from the rest of the forest and any predators or enemies that might be out there. The bramble bushes that made up the individual dens were weighed down by blankets of the white stuff, though sharp spindles of thorns poked out. In the center of the camp, the fresh-kill pile was empty, and a group of cats stood near it, their pelts fluffed out against the chill.

She took a tentative step forward, pressing her paw against the white stuff. It was cold and crunched beneath her paws. She gasped as she tried to take another step and the stuff gave out beneath her, tripping her. White powder covered her muzzle and shot up her nose as she fell, causing her to sneeze and shake her head in disgust.

“Good morning, Spiderkit!”

Blinking the freezing crystals from her eyes, Spiderkit looked up to see a pale tortoiseshell she-cat approaching her, a glimmer of amusement and affection in her green gaze. She leaned forward and gently grabbed Spiderkit’s scruff in her teeth, lifting her out from the hole she had fallen into and placing her on more secure ground.

“Thanks, Tawnypelt!” She mewed with relief, shaking her pelt out until her fur stuck out at all angles, making her look like a hedgehog.

Tawnypelt purred with amusement, ducking out of the way as freezing crystals cascaded through the air. “You’re awake early.” She observed.

“Ivytail said I could come into the clearing.”  Spiderkit explained. She extended a paw and dabbed at the freezing white stuff. “What is it, Tawnypelt? It’s _cold!_ ”

“Snow.” Tawnypelt explained, sweeping away a pile of the snow with her tail, sitting down beside the kit. “It comes in leafbare.”

“Where does it come from?” Spiderkit tilted her head to the side, shuffling her paws to try and keep warm. The snow clotted the fur between her toes and she shook her head in disgust, lifting one paw at a time and shaking out the freezing powder.

“The sky. It falls in tiny flakes like rain, and when it’s cold enough it sticks to the ground and turns the world white.”

As Tawnypelt spoke, Spiderkit felt a wave of affection for the she-cat come over her, warming her pelt in spite of the snow. Tawnypelt was her father’s mother and was always kind and loving to the little kit. Spiderkit knew that she had been born in ThunderClan many moons ago, but ultimately chose to live in ShadowClan after her father, Tigerstar, became leader. Tawnypelt leaned down, touching her nose to Spiderkit’s, her green eyes reflecting the same affection. With a nod to the kit, she stood up and padded across the clearing to where the other cats stood.

Crowfrost, the ShadowClan deputy, was standing at the front of the crowd, his black and white pelt gleaming in the morning light. His blue eyes were bright as he named several cats for the dawn patrol. “Snowbird, take Grassheart and Owlclaw to patrol the ThunderClan border. There have been more scents than usual on our side of the stream - I want to make sure not a single ThunderClan cat has put a paw on our land.”

Snowbird, a white she-cat with green eyes, nodded and flicked her tail for the other two cats nearby to follow her. Spiderkit watched as they filed out of the camp, squeezing through the tunnel of thorns that created an entrance into the camp. She longed to go with them, her paws itching to be out in the forest, but she knew she couldn’t. She wouldn’t be apprenticed for three more moons.

“Tigerheart,” Crowfrost continued, turning to a dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes, “Lead a hunting patrol. You too, Pinenose. You can choose who you take with you.”

At the sound of her father’s name, Spiderkit pricked her ears. As Tigerheart turned away from Crowfrost, she bounded across the clearing, skidding to a halt in front of him, snow flying out from under her paws.

“Watch out!” A dark brown tom standing nearby hissed, leaping out of the way to avoid being showered by the snow.

“Easy, Toadfoot.” Tigerheart mewed, looking down at his daughter. Like Tawnypelt had done, he leaned down and touched his nose to Spiderkit’s. She purred, rubbing her muzzle against his affectionately. When she pulled away, she looked up at Tigerheart, making her eyes as big and round as she possibly could. “Can I come with you? _Please_?”

The dark brown tabby shook his head sympathetically. “You know kits aren’t allowed outside of the camp, Spiderkit.”

“I know but-”

She cut off as Scorchfur, a dark gray tom, bounded to Tigerheart’s side. He flicked his tail, working his claws into the snow underpaw. “Hey Tigerheart, can Aspenpaw and I join your hunting patrol?”

“Sure, the more paws the better. I’ll wake Dawnpelt and she can join us.” Tigerheart turned away from Spiderkit, padding across the camp to the bramble bush that made the warriors den. It was heavily weighed down by the snow and shuddered when Tigerheart shouldered his way inside, calling for the warrior. Dawnpelt emerged from the den a moment later, yawning.

Spiderkit, crestfallen, stumbled back towards the nursery. Maybe Mistkit would be awake and want to play with her. She pushed her head through the gap in the den, ready to call out to her friend.

“Watch it!” Sparrowkit’s annoyed growl surprised her, causing her to leap backwards from the entrance to the nursery. He pushed his way through the thorns, his golden tabby pelt smooth as though he had just groomed it. Spiderkit realized she must look very scruffy in comparison.

Finchkit and Ravenkit followed him out, squealing with delight when they saw the snow covered ground. Finchkit leaped high into the air, sending up a shower of snow as she landed in the middle of the clearing. Flecks of snow matted her cream colored pelt that was still ruffled with sleep. Her sister, Ravenkit, a pure black she-cat, followed more slowly.

“Is Mistkit awake?” Spiderkit asked, tilting her head back to look up at Ravenkit. The black kit blinked down at her, her brilliant blue eyes like pools of water. She shook her head apologetically.

“Come _on_ , Ravenkit.” Sparrowkit called to his sister, “Me and Finchkit are going to play Hunt the Frog!”

Spiderkit bounced over to him, intrigued, stepping in the paw prints left by the bigger kits so she wouldn’t fall back into a hole in the snow like she did earlier. “Can I play?”

Sparrowkit snorted, shaking his head. “No way! You’re too small. Besides, we don’t play with _kittypets_.”

The she-kit gaped at him, feeling her pelt begin to bristle with indignation. This wasn’t the first time Sparrowkit had said something like that, but it still hurt. “I’m not a kittypet!” She protested, feeling hot beneath her pelt.

The fact was, she didn’t know if she _was_ a kittypet.

Three moons ago, she had been brought to ShadowClan by her father, Tigerheart, when she was just a newborn. The Clan had been shocked by her sudden appearance, and even more shocked when Tigerheart told them that he was her father. Spiderkit had been too young to remember, but Ivytail told her that Tigerheart had never told any cat who her mother was, leading most of the Clan to assume her mother was a kittypet or a rogue from the twolegplace that stood on the outskirts of Clan territory.

Spiderkit had begged her father time and time again to tell her who her mother was, but each time he just shook his head and changed the subject. Her pelt itched with the longing to know who her mother was - or at least where her mother came from.

But she wasn’t going to let Sparrowkit get away with calling her a kittypet. Baring her teeth, she growled, “I’m a _ShadowClan_ cat!”

Sparrowkit rolled his eyes dismissively, turning away from her. “Whatever.”

He and Finchkit bounded away to the other side of the clearing where a pile of stones stuck out of the snow, racing each other to reach the top first. Ravenkit hesitated before following them. “Sorry.” She mewed sympathetically before turning to join her littermates.

Crushed, Spiderkit let her ears and tail droop.

“They make fun of me too.” A voice startled her.

Whipping around, she saw that a dark brown tabby tom, Oakpaw, had approached her, obviously having seen what had happened. He blinked at her with understanding in his green eyes, and leaned down to touch noses with her. “Don’t let them get to you.”

Warmth spread through her as he spoke. She knew that Oakpaw had been born in twolegplace, living as a rogue named Jet during his kithood. A few moons ago, at the end of greenleaf, the rogues of twolegplace had threatened ShadowClan by pressing their borders and attacking patrols. She hadn’t been born at the time, but Tigerheart had told her how ThunderClan had joined together with ShadowClan to fight off the rogues.

After the battle, Oakpaw had come to ShadowClan, claiming that he wanted to train to become a warrior and live by the warrior code. The Clan had been distrustful of him and Rowanstar chose to mentor Oakpaw himself.

Spiderkit knew that many cats in the Clan didn’t like Oakpaw because of his rogue heritage, but, to her, he seemed no different than any other Clan cats. He had lived in ShadowClan for as long as she could remember, and it was hard to imagine the apprentice living as a rogue among twolegs.

Now, it seemed that they had something in common. Clanmates who taunted them for something they couldn’t help.

“They make fun of you?” Spiderkit asked.

Oakpaw nodded, shuffling his paws in the snow, “Aspenpaw says I’ll never be a real warrior.”

“You _are_ a real warrior, and the other cats are stupid if they think you’re not!” Spiderkit protested, earning a purr from the tabby apprentice. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted as a yowl sounded from outside the camp.

Turning to face the entrance, they watched as the dawn patrol pushed their way through the tunnel, fur bristling and claws unsheathed. Snowbird was at the lead, with Grassheart and Owlclaw close behind. The white she-cat stopped in the clearing and lifted her head to yowl, “Rowanstar! Rowanstar!”

A moment later, Rowanstar, a dark ginger tom emerged from a den on the edge of the clearing. His amber eyes were wide with alarm and he bounded across the clearing, kicking up pawfulls of snow.

Snowbird’s alarm had roused the rest of the Clan, who burst from their dens, eyes wide and tails lashing. Dawnpelt and Tigerheart, still standing outside of the warriors den, spun around with their fur standing on end. Aspenpaw, a dark red tom, stumbled from the apprentices den, blinking sleep from his eyes. Spiderkit heard the entrance to the nursery rustle behind her and scented Ivytail as the queen peered out. Mistkit tumbled out after her and bounced to Spiderkit’s side. Her fur was flat on one side of her face, showing that the she-kit had just woken up. Her green eyes flashed as she mewed, “What’s happening?”

Before Spiderkit could respond, another cat shouldered through the thorn tunnel that lead into the camp. He was a massive dark brown tabby, his pelt crisscrossed with old battle scars. Spiderkit squeaked as Ivytail wrapped her tail around the two kits, pulling them close to her body. Two more cats followed the first cat into the clearing, one a large white tom with blue eyes and the other a ginger she-cat.

“Bramblestar.” Rowanstar growled, addressing the first cat. He stalked to the center of the clearing, standing his ground as Bramblestar padded up to him, looking much bigger than the ShadowClan leader in comparison.

“That’s the leader of ThunderClan!” Mistkit squeaked, her voice muffled by Ivytail’s fur, “Why is he here? He’s _huge_!”

“Hush.” Ivytail scolded her, drawing the kits closer. Her yellow eyes flashed as she gazed at the two leaders before them.

“Greetings, Rowanstar,” Bramblestar mewed, dipping his head respectfully to the ShadowClan leader. His two clanmates flanked him on both sides, sending reproachful glances at the ShadowClan cats around them. “I have come to discuss something that concerns both our clans.”

Rowanstar narrowed his eyes, hesitating for a moment before he flicked his tail to Crowfrost, signalling for him to join them. The black and white deputy stepped to his leader’s side, looking at the ThunderClan cats with suspicion in his gaze. “What is so important that it couldn’t wait until the next Gathering?” Rowanstar asked sternly.

Bramblestar gazed at him, flexing his long, hooked claws, “I have come to request that we change the border between our Clans - to follow the stream that leads from the lake to the outskirts of Clan territory.”

The words had hardly left his mouth when yowls of disbelief came from the cats around him. Rowanstar looked furious, lashing his tail back and forth and baring his teeth. “The borders were decided long ago, when the Clans first came to the lake. Why should we change them now?” He demanded, his hackles raised along his spine.

One of the cats beside Bramblestar stepped forward, his fur bristling along his spine. “Any cat with a brain could see that the stream should be the border!”

Crowfrost stalked forward, unsheathing his claws as he faced the ThunderClan cat, ready for a fight.

“Get back, Cloudtail.” Bramblestar hissed at his clanmate. Cloudtail flashed a furious glance at his leader before he stepped back, hissing at Crowfrost.

“The stream veers sharply into ShadowClan territory as it gets farther from the lake,” Rowanstar began, clearly trying to hold back his temper, “Making the stream the boundary would give ThunderClan a great portion of our territory.”

“Territory that ThunderClan rightfully deserves.” Bramblestar growled back.

“Nonsense!” A skinny ShadowClan elder snarled from where he stood outside of the elders den. “Can ThunderClan not support themselves in their own territory anymore?”

“Be quiet, Smokefoot.” Rowanstar growled. He took a step forward, almost nose to nose with Bramblestar. “ShadowClan will _not_ give away our territory. Especially to greedy ThunderClan cats who think they _deserve_ it.”

The ThunderClan leader bared his teeth, eyes flashing. For a moment, Spiderkit was afraid that Bramblestar would leap at Rowanstar and slash at him with his massive claws, but he took a deep breath, allowing his fur to lie flat. “Then ThunderClan will be ready to fight for it.”

Caterwauls of outrage answered his words, but Bramblestar was unfazed. He gazed at Rowanstar with unblinking eyes, a silent challenge.

“Get off our territory.” Rowanstar snarled. “You aren’t welcome here.”

Bramblestar snorted, his eyes narrowed. “We’ll give you until newleaf to keep the land on our side of the stream. When the snow melts, it will be ThunderClan land.”

Without another word, Bramblestar whipped around, beckoning for his clanmates to follow him. The three cats filed out of the camp, and a stunned silence fell over the camp. After several moments, Rowanstar jerked his head towards Crowfrost and Tigerheart. “Make sure they leave.” He ordered. The two toms nodded and followed the ThunderClan cats out of camp.

“We can’t let them take our land!” Snowbird protested, working her claws through the snow as if she were imagining it was a ThunderClan pelt.

“We won’t.” Rowanstar promised her, “When newleaf comes, we’ll be ready to fight for our land.”

Once the shock of Bramblestar’s demands had worn off, the cats returned to their duties. Spiderkit watched as patrols headed out of camp and the other warriors retreated to the warm shelter of their dens. Mistkit was shivering beside her.

“Are you okay?” Spiderkit asked her as Ivytail uncurled her tail from around them and stalked across the camp to talk to Rowanstar.

“There’s going to be a battle!” Mistkit mewed, her eyes wide with fear and excitement. “Maybe we’ll get to fight!”

Spiderkit opened her mouth to respond but was cut off as Oakpaw leaned over them. “Rowanstar would never send kits into battle. Anyway, newleaf is a long way off. Hopefully Bramblestar will realize how ridiculous his demands are and no cats will be hurt because of ThunderClan’s greed.”

As Oakpaw padded away to find join his mentor, who was still speaking to Ivytail, Spiderkit felt the cold pierce her to the bone. Whatever Oakpaw said, she knew a battle was coming - and she hoped she would be apprenticed in time to see it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter was a little boring, but I needed it in order to set the scene for the rest of the fic! I promise the next chapter will be really exciting, so stay tuned for that!
> 
> What do you think of the story so far? I'm really eager to hear everyone's feedback, especially since this is my first Warriors fic. 
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta'd by [wickedbad](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedbad/pseuds/wickedbad)!

_I’m going to be an apprentice!_

Spiderkit couldn’t help but give a little bounce at the thought, her dark tabby fur fluffing up with excitement.

She was standing just outside the bramble nursery with Mistkit at her shoulder, whose green eyes were sparkling with the same excitement that Spiderkit felt. Ivytail sat beside the two she-kits, her tail curled around her paws as she waited patiently for Rowanstar to call the Clan to a meeting. Spiderkit’s whole body trembled, half from the cold and half from the thrill of waiting for the apprentice naming ceremony to begin.

The sun arched overhead, halfway to sunhigh, casting a warm morning light across the snowy clearing. It was one of the few days in leafbare where the sun wasn’t hidden by a blanket of white clouds, and Spiderkit relished in the way it warmed the fur on her back. The snow felt squishy underpaw, more like slush than the powder it had been when she first experienced snow three moons ago.

Leafbare was coming to an end, bringing with it the promise of warmth and growth in newleaf. The days were beginning to grow longer and the nights didn’t have the same frigid coldness that Spiderkit had grown used to. Although Mistkit was over half a moon older than her, Ivytail had asked Rowanstar to delay her apprentice ceremony so the two kits could be apprenticed together and Spiderkit wouldn’t be left alone in the nursery. Spiderkit was grateful that he had agreed. She gave another excited bounce as she realized she would be able to see the new growth in the forest with her own eyes when she was apprenticed and finally allowed outside of the camp.

“Calm down.” Ivytail scolded her, but her voice was full of affection and amusement as she looked down at the two kits. “I want you both on your best behavior during the ceremony, and to act like sensible apprentices when you go out with your mentors.”

“We will!” Mistkit promised, echoed closely by Spiderkit.

 _Our mentors!_ Spiderkit thought, her fur spiking along her spine as she realized she had no idea who would be mentoring her. Her gaze travelled across the clearing, where a few of the warriors were sunning themselves in spots where the snow had begun to melt.

Grassheart, a pale tabby she-cat, was stretched on her side next to Tigerheart, who was tearing into a plump sparrow, scattering feathers around his paws. She knew that Tigerheart wouldn’t be her mentor since he was given Finchpaw as his apprentice last moon. Besides, it wasn’t often that parents were given their kits to mentor. Along with Finchpaw, Sparrowpaw and Ravenpaw had been apprenticed to Tawnypelt and Pinenose respectively.

Grassheart, however, was a likely choice. She was a young warrior, but an excellent hunter, and she was fun and kind. Spiderkit’s attention was drawn to the warriors den as Dawnpelt and Toadfoot emerged, blinking in the morning light. They both were good warriors as well. Spiderkit’s pelt itched with excitement to see who her mentor would be.

“Are our kits ready for their ceremony?”

Startled, Spiderkit whipped around, realizing that Rowanstar had padded up to them unnoticed. She felt Mistkit quiver beside her and lifted her chin to look into the Clan leader’s eyes, hoping he didn’t notice the way her tail tip was twitching nervously.

“Of course.” Ivytail purred, flicking each kit over the ears affectionately with her tail.

Rowanstar was distracted as the dawn patrol pushed through the entrance to the camp, and padded across the clearing to meet them. Crowfrost was leading it, with Tawnypelt and Sparrowpaw behind him. Spiderkit pricked her ears to listen, but they were too far away for her to hear their words.

“Who do you think our mentors will be?” Mistkit asked, winding around Spiderkit as she paced nervously. Her red tabby fur bristled along her spine nervously.

“Whoever they are, you’ll be lucky to have them.” Ivytail assured her, leaning down to lick her daughter’s head. “The ceremony will start soon. You should groom yourselves; I don’t want the Clan thinking I didn’t raise you properly.”

Only half listening to Mistkit’s protests that her fur was fine, Spiderkit leaned down and licked the ruffled fur on her chest. She had just started grooming the fur along her spine when she heard Rowanstar call out.

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather in the clearing for a Clan meeting!”

Spiderkit’s heart was pounding in her chest as she watched her clanmates begin to gather. Tigerheart and Grassheart padded across from where they had been sitting, joined by Tawnypelt, Scorchfur, and Dawnpelt. As Sparrowpaw bounded across the clearing to sit beside his mentor, Finchpaw and Ravenpaw emerged from the apprentice’s den at the far end of the clearing, yawning sleepily. They were joined by Oakpaw and Aspenpaw, who had been picking through the fresh-kill pile.

As the rest of the cats gathered, Ivytail coaxed the two kits to their paws, guiding them slowly across the clearing. Spiderkit felt hot under her pelt as the gazes of her clanmates fell on her, but she held her chin and tail high. Mistkit walked determinedly at her side as they approached Rowanstar, who looked down at the two kits with pride in his eyes.

“Today, we make our Clan stronger with the addition of two new apprentices,” He began, beckoning Mistkit forward, “Mistkit, you have reached your sixth moon and are ready to begin your training. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Mistpaw.”

Spiderkit noticed that the tip of Mistpaw’s tail twitched nervously, but she raised her head at their leader’s words, taking in her new name proudly.

Rowanstar continued, “Toadfoot will be your mentor.”

Mistpaw’s eyes gleamed as the dark brown tom padded into the center of the clearing, his chest puffed out. He leaned down and touched noses with his new apprentice before he guided her to the edge of the clearing where the other apprentices were standing.

Spiderkit’s breath hitched in her throat when she realized it was finally her turn. She stepped forward tentatively as Rowanstar called on her, the snow crunching underpaw.

“From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Spiderpaw.” Rowanstar mewed, “Your mentor will be Snowbird.”

 _Yes!_ Spiderpaw almost gave a bounce of excitement but remembered Ivytail’s words at the last moment. She turned and watched as the white she-cat stepped forward, looking down at Spiderpaw with sparkling green eyes.

“You’re doing very well.” Snowbird assured her as she touched noses with her apprentice before guiding her across the clearing to stand beside Toadfoot and Mistpaw.

“Mistpaw! Spiderpaw!”

Spiderpaw closed her eyes as her clanmates called out her new name, her fur feeling warm in spite of the cold air. As the meeting came to an end, she turned to her mentor, her fur bristling with excitement. She felt Mistpaw nudge her shoulder, and looked at her friend who was gazing at her with matched emotion. “We’re apprentices!” Spiderpaw mewed.

“Congratulations, Spiderpaw.”

The tabby apprentice turned around to see Oakpaw standing behind her, his green eyes gleaming. He flicked his tail nervously as his gaze shifted to Mistpaw. “Er... you too, Mistpaw.”

Spiderpaw watched as he bounded away to find Tawnypelt, a strange feeling coming over her. She flicked her ears as Mistpaw gave her a knowing look before turning to Toadfoot and Snowbird.

“What are we going to do first?” Mistpaw asked, pacing between their mentors on quick paws. She seemed to forget her mother’s advice as she bounced excitedly on her paws, “Battle training? Hunting? Patrolling? What if we see cats from other clans? Do we fight? Do we-”

She broke off as Toadfoot gave her a stern look before he sighed. “We’re going to explore the territory. And if we see cats from the other clans we will _not_ fight them.”

Mistpaw, refusing to be crushed by her mentor’s words, tilted her head back and yowled in glee. “We get to see the territory! Finally! After six moons of being stuck in this camp!”

Spiderpaw couldn't help but let out a _mrrow_ of amusement at her friend’s enthusiasm. “Can we go with them?” She asked Snowbird, who was watching Mistpaw and her mentor with her whiskers twitching.

“Of course.” Snowbird answered, whisking her tail for the other cats to follow her as she led the way out of camp. Spiderpaw raced at her heels, followed closely by Mistpaw and Toadfoot in the rear. For the first time, she squeezed through the thorn tunnel, ignoring the way the barbs tugged at her fur, and emerged into the forest.

The forest was _huge_ . She had seen the tips of the pine trees that had encircled the camp, but she never imagined that there could be so many of them. The forest stretched on _forever_ in each direction, and at one side she could see a silver sheen through the trees, sparkling in the sunshine. Snow dappled the ground, glinting brightly in the morning sun. Spiderpaw could see bundles of pine needles where the snow had melted away, creating a soft ground under her paws.

“Where’s all the undergrowth?” Mistpaw asked as she followed Spiderpaw out of the camp, gazing around with wide eyes.

“It’ll grow back in newleaf.” Toadfoot answered her, shaking leaves from his pelt as he exited the tunnel.”For now it’s mostly snow, pine needles, and twigs.”

“Let’s head towards RiverClan.” Snowbird called over her shoulder to Toadfoot as she led the way deeper into the forest, “Then we can circle around to ThunderClan and the lake.”

Toadfoot nodded and together the two mentors led their apprentices through the trees. Spiderpaw tilted her head back as they walked over the snow and pine needles, marveling at how tall the trees were. Although the undergrowth had died and shriveled in the cold, the pine trees were still in full leaf, and rustled in the slight breeze. As they walked, the silver sheen through the trees began to grow bigger, and Spiderpaw could feel a colder wind on her face as they approached.

“What’s that?” She asked, pointing with her nose at it.

Snowbird followed her gaze. “The lake. We’re approaching the shore.”

The white she-cat led them further, until the trees thinned out and led to a wide shore of pebbles. Lazy waves of water bubbled over the pebbles and, as Spiderpaw gazed across the lake, she gaped at how big the mass of water was. She had heard the warriors describe the lake during her kithood, but had always imagined it as slightly bigger than the puddles that formed in camp when it rained. The lake was massive, and when she squinted her eyes, she was able to see the blur of hills and trees on the other end. An island floated on the opposite end, a few pine trees growing on it. The clear blue sky was reflected on the lake, and Spiderpaw could see ripples of waves in the water.

“That’s the Gathering place.” Toadfoot explained, stopping at her side and following her gaze across the lake to the island. He gestured to the hills and trees on the other side of the lake as Mistpaw and Snowbird joined them. “Those hills belong to WindClan.”

“Where do they hunt? I don’t see any trees at all.” Mistpaw asked, squinting as she looked.

“WindClan hunt rabbits on the moorland.” Snowbird told her, “They don’t have many trees on their territory, and they seem to like it that way.” The white she-cat gestured towards the gnarled trees on the edge of the moorland, where a few strange structures loomed in the distance. “The marsh belongs to RiverClan, and the horseplace is beyond it.”

“Horseplace?” Spiderpaw echoed, before her eyes widened, “Oh! Tigerheart told me about that! He said twolegs live there with a few loners.”

“He’s right.” Her mentor replied, looking proud of her apprentice. “Two loners live there, but they don’t bother us.”

She turned away from the lake and began to led the way along the shore, leaving dappled pawprints in the melting snow. Spiderpaw followed close behind, her mind buzzing with the information she was learning about the territory. _Her_ territory now. Calling ahead to her mentor, she mewed, “I didn’t know Clan territory was so big.”

Toadfoot answered her from where he was padding behind with Mistpaw at his side. “The Clans each have a wide expanse of territory that is catered to their skills and prey. StarClan found the perfect place for us after the old forest was destroyed.”

Spiderpaw’s pelt bristled as Toadfoot mentioned the old forest. She had heard stories of it from the elders in the Clan, but she had never really heard the testimonies of cats who had lived there. “Did you live in the old forest?” She asked.

“Yes.” The brown tom answered, “I was a kit then, but I remember it well.”

“What was it like?”

Toadfoot hesitated for a moment before answering. “It was very different from the lake. ShadowClan shared borders with WindClan and ThunderClan then. Our old territory didn’t have as many trees, and there was a thunderpath that went through the old forest.”

Spiderpaw shuddered. She had heard of thunderpaths, even though she had never seen one. Twolegs rode in them in huge, terrifying monsters with glittering, hard pelts.

“Our old Gathering place was at a hollow called Four Trees. It was in the center of the four territories, connecting them during the time of the full moon. Now, we have to cross through RiverClan territory to reach the island for the Gathering.” He went on.

“When we arrived here, the leaders decided to allow safe passage to the Clans on the night of the Gathering. We can travel through the other territories as long as we stay within two fox-lengths of the water.” Snowbird explained, slowing down so she could walk at Toadfoot’s side.

Toadfoot nodded, “The forest was our home for seasons upon seasons, but we were forced to leave when the twolegs destroyed it to build a new thunderpath.”

Spiderpaw had heard the story of the destruction of the old forest many times - every Clan kit had. She knew that the twolegs had begun to cut down trees and dig up the earth in the old forest, driving away the prey and leading the Clans into moons of starvation. She knew many cats had died in the famine and under the paws of the twolegs before they finally left to find the lake.

“I remember when the twolegs attacked our camp. Firestar - the ThunderClan leader before Bramblestar - brought ThunderClan to help. We were able to escape the camp in time, but it was the scariest moment of my life. My mother, Tallpoppy, thought she could never get all the splinters out of my fur.” Toadfoot finished, lashing his tail as he remembered the destruction of his old home. “But StarClan led us here, where we’re safe.”

Mistpaw was looking up at her mentor with wide, scared eyes, as though she could see the horrors Toadfoot was describing. He noticed her and flicked her affectionately over the ears with his tail before bounding ahead, taking the lead.

“We’re nearing the RiverClan border.” He called over his shoulder.

Spiderpaw looked ahead and saw more buildings like those at the horseplace, and wondered if more twolegs lived here. As she looked, she noticed a strange wooden structure that hung over the water, looking as though it were made from unusually flat branches. “What’s that?” She mewed.

“The twoleg half-bridge.” Toadfoot answered. “Twolegs come here in greenleaf. They stay in those nests as well.” He gestured to the buildings with his tail. “They like to play in the water.”

“What?” Mistpaw asked in disbelief, her eyes wide, “Why?”

“Who knows.” Snowbird grunted, “Twolegs are crazy. Sometimes they even catch fish.”

They approached the half-bridge, and Spiderpaw could see a weird wooden thing in the water beside it that looked like an upturned leaf. It was tethered to the bridge by a tendril of something thicker than ivy. Interested, she bounded across the shore to it, peering across the water at it. Mistpaw picked her way across the pebbles to her side, tilting her head as she gazed at it.

“It’s a boat.”

Spiderpaw jumped when she heard her mentor’s voice behind her. She’d been so intrigued by the _boat_ that she hadn’t noticed Snowbird come up behind them. “What is it for?”

“Twolegs ride in it sometimes.”

 _Twolegs are weird!_ Spiderpaw thought. She gasped as Mistpaw suddenly bounded away from her side and onto the half-bridge, running her nose along the planks of wood as she sniffed at it.

Toadfoot skidded to a halt beside Spiderpaw and Snowbird, looking at his apprentice with wide eyes. “Mistpaw, get back here!”

The red apprentice reluctantly leaped down from the bridge and padded back to them, her tail down in shame as Toadfoot glared at her. “You could have fallen in!” He scolded.

Mistpaw looked down at her paws, but Spiderpaw could see the mischief in her eyes. “But it’s so weird! I wanted to see what it was like.”

Toadfoot scoffed and whipped around, leading the patrol away from the lake and back onto the snowy grass. “Next time, _ask_ before you go running off into danger.”

“Yes, Toadfoot.”

The four cats continued along the line of trees until a strange scent hit them. Spiderpaw wrinkled her nose, flicking her tongue to try and drive the weird smell from her nostrils. “What is _that_?” She asked.

Snowbird purred, nodding towards a line of snow-covered bushes in front of them. “This is the border with RiverClan. What you’re smelling is their scent markers.”

Spiderpaw curled her lip, disgusted by the smell. There was something weird and fishy about their scent, and she was relieved when their mentors led them away from it.  They headed deeper into the trees, their pawsteps muffled by the pine needles and thin layer of snow. Spiderpaw began to feel her paws drag, tired from trekking so far, but she refused to slow down. She was an apprentice now, she needed to be ready for anything.

As they headed farther away from the lake, the silver sheen disappeared behind them, leaving nothing but a wide expanse of pine trees on every side. She and Mistpaw weaved through the trees, chasing each other and squealing as they batted at each other’s tails. Snowbird and Toadfoot said nothing, but their whiskers twitched and eyes gleamed with amusement as they watched their apprentices.

Soon, Spiderpaw saw another twoleg nest in the distance. Dark smoke billowed from an opening in the roof and a thick wall of stone circled around it. She was aware of the mentors bristling pelts as they approached.

“Twolegs live on our territory?” Mistpaw asked, eyeing the nest warily as they neared.

“This is the only permanent nest.” Toadfoot explained, his voice a low growl as he eyed the nest. “And don’t _ever_ go near it. Two cats live there with their twolegs, and they’ve given us plenty of trouble in the past.”

“Kittypets?” Spiderpaw asked in shock, “What can two kittypets do to a whole clan of warriors?”

Snowbird flicked her tail, eyes serious. “Those two kittypets are bigger than most of our warriors. They’ve _killed_ cats who went too close.”

Mistpaw and Spiderpaw followed their mentors past the nest in stunned silence, and she didn’t feel her fur begin to fall flat until it faded into the distance.

Snowbird glanced over her shoulder, giving them a sympathetic look. “Why don’t you two run ahead and meet us at the stream?”

Exchanging an excited glance, the two apprentices raced past their mentors. Spiderpaw’s paws grazed against the ground as she bounded through the trees, her tail streaming out behind her. Mistpaw raced at her side, her longer legs giving her an advantage of speed. The red she-cat pulled ahead of Spiderpaw, yowling with satisfaction, and hared away into the trees. Spiderpaw followed her friend, determined to reach the stream first.

As they ran together, Spiderpaw suddenly became aware of a strong scent up ahead. It reminded her of the RiverClan border, and she realized she must be nearing the ThunderClan border.

“Mistpaw, wait!” She called to her friend. The other apprentice skidded to a halt as the reached the stream, her tail straight up as she purred with satisfaction of reaching it first. Spiderpaw slowed to a halt at her side, panting as she caught her breath.

“You’re fast!” Mistpaw told her, mischief sparking in her eyes as she added, “Not as fast as me, though.”

Spiderpaw cuffed her affectionately over the ear before turning to look across the stream. It bubbled through the trees, several tail-lengths wide and lined with snow on it’s banks. She saw the pines on the other side fade into thicker, denser oaks. The scent that swamped the bushed on the other side of the stream told her this was the ThunderClan border. Approaching pawsteps caused her to turn around and dip her head to Snowbird and Toadfoot as their mentors caught up.

“We found the border!” Mistpaw told them.

“What?” Toadfoot narrowed his eyes, “We aren’t anywhere near the border.”

Mistpaw’s tail drooped, “But I thought-”

“She’s right.” Snowbird cut her off, raising her head to sniff the air. “There’s ThunderClan scent everywhere.”

Toadfoot growled as he leapt across the stream, thrusting his muzzle into the snow-covered bushes on the other side. “Those mange-pelts!” He snarled, “They’ve moved the border!”

“They can’t have!” Snowbird wailed incredulously.

Toadfoot joined them back on their side of the stream, his hackles raised and eyes sparked with anger. “They couldn’t even honor their promise to wait until newleaf. The foxhearts!”

“Is this not the original border?” Spiderpaw asked, shifting from paw to paw nervously.

“No!” Toadfoot growled in reply, “Our territory lasts for several more fox-lengths on the other side. Bramblestar warned us he’d steal our territory, and he finally did it.”

Snowbird growled deep in her throat, glaring across the stream into ThunderClan territory. Lashing her tail, she whipped around and stalked into the trees, closely followed by the other cats. “Come on, we need to tell Rowanstar about this.”

 

* * *

 

The sun was beginning to sink as Spiderpaw followed her mentor into the camp, aware of Snowbird and Toadfoot’s bristling pelts. The white she-cat raised her head and yowled, “Rowanstar!”

Several cats were in the clearing, enjoying their evening meal. Tigerheart leapt to his paws with Sparrowpaw and Finchpaw beside him. Pinenose and Crowfrost’s fur bristled, turning to look at Snowbird and Toadfoot with narrowed eyes.

Rowanstar pushed his way out of his den on the other side of the clearing, his amber eyes wide as he looked at Snowbird. He bounded across to her side, “What happened?”

Toadfoot pushed past Mistpaw and Spiderpaw, growling deep in his throat, “ThunderClan moved the border.”

Yowls of disbelief in anger answered him as more cats gathered around, pelts bristling and claws digging into the ground below.

“They wouldn’t!” Stoatfur yowled from the back of the crowd, looking bewildered.

“They did.” Snowbird assured her. “They marked the bushes on the side of the stream all the way through our territory.”

Rowanstar lashed his tail, curling his lip as he listened to Snowbird’s report on how the apprentices had reached the stream to discover it swamped in ThunderClan scent. Crowfrost padded to his leader’s side, his eyes flashing with anger as he listened. The Clan was silent when Snowbird finished her report, waiting for their leader to give them orders.

“We can’t let them get away with stealing our territory.” Rowanstar finally growled. “If they think they can win this without a fight, they’re wrong.”

“So is there going to be a battle?” Tigerheart called, working his long, hooked claws through the snowy grass. Spiderpaw felt a flash of pride for her father and his willingness to fight for his Clan.

Rowanstar turned to his son, eyes glinting. “Yes, there will be a battle. ThunderClan blood will be spilled today - I’ll make sure of that.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story is finally getting started! I was originally going to make the battle a part of this chapter, but since it was already so long I decided to leave it until the next chapter.
> 
> What do you think? Which Clan are you rooting for to win the battle? Let me know your thoughts!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> CANNON INCONSISTENCIES: Although Toadfoot is stated to have died in the Great Battle, he is alive in this timeline.
> 
> PS: Thanks for the kudos on chapter two! It really means a lot <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by [wickedbad](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedbad/pseuds/wickedbad)

“ThunderClan blood will be spilled today - I’ll make sure of that.”

Rowanstar’s words sent a chill through Spiderpaw’s body. Her clanmates threw their heads back as battle cries erupted from their throats. She could sense their apprehension and determination to take back the land that ThunderClan had stolen from them.

The dark ginger tom stood with his head high as he listened to his warrior’s yowls of approval. His amber eyes flashed as he spoke, “I will lead the battle patrol myself.”

“Is that wise?” Dawnpelt asked, the cream she-cat stepping forward from the crowd of cats to face her father, “Clan leaders don’t often get caught up in border skirmishes.”

Spiderpaw immediately understood what she was implying without actually saying it. The Clan could not afford to lose their leader in a battle over territory. With a jolt, Spiderpaw wondered how many lives Rowanstar had left to give to his clan.

Rowanstar looked at his daughter, his gaze softening. “Any of my warriors are willing to risk their lives - I am no different.”

Dawnpelt dipped her head in reluctant acceptance. Crowfrost stepped forward to stand beside his leader as he began to call out the names of the cats that would be joining the patrol. “Tigerheart, Tawnypelt, Sparrowpaw. Scorchfur and Aspenpaw. Oakpaw. Snowbird, Toadfoot, and Stoatfur.”

Spiderpaw felt Mistpaw step to her side, their pelts brushing. She turned her head to look at the red she-cat, noticing the way her eyes sparkled with anticipation. Mistpaw lifted her chin, “What about us?”

Rowanstar looked down at the two apprentices and shook his head, “I won’t bring apprentices with so little training into battle.”

Spiderfall felt her tail droop. She wanted to fight for her Clan! However, she knew it wasn’t sensible. She hadn’t had a mouse-tail of battle training and her clanmates would have a better chance of winning the battle without having to worry about her.

“Actually, Rowanstar.” Littlecloud, the Clan medicine cat, pushed his way through the crowd, looking very small compared to the warriors around him, “I think Spiderpaw and Mistpaw should go with you. No - not to fight.” He said quickly when Ivytail stepped forward to object, “There will be injuries. They can help bring the wounded cats back to camp so I can treat them as soon as possible.”

“They’ll be killed!” Stoatfur gasped, her fur standing on end at the thought of sending the young cats into battle.

“They must promise to stay away from the fighting. There’s plenty of undergrowth by the border for them to hide in.” Crowfrost suggested.

Excitement coursed through her body as Rowanstar dipped his head after a moment of hesitation, acknowledging the sense in his deputy’s words. He flicked his tail to gather the battle patrol together and Spiderpaw bounced across the clearing to his side with Mistpaw on her heels. Snowbird approached them, looking down at the two apprentices with a stern look, “You must promise to stay out of the fighting. Cats will be depending on you to help them when they’re injured.”

The two she-cats nodded, head and tails high. Spiderpaw felt her paws tingle as Rowanstar led the battle patrol through the thorn tunnel, bringing up the rear of the group with Mistpaw and Tawnypelt. Her pelt bristled as they broke into a run until they were flying through the trees, throwing up paw-fulls of snow and pine needles in their wake.

“This is so exciting!” Mistpaw panted at her side, matching Spiderpaw’s pace, “Our first battle!”

“We won’t be fighting.” Spiderpaw reminded her, “We’re supposed to help the injured cats.”

“Oh, I know,” Her friend assured her, throwing a glance her way, “But we still get to see it! I’ve been waiting for this for _ages!_ ”

Spiderpaw rivaled her excitement, her breath catching in her throat as they approached the new border. ThunderClan scent choked her as the battle patrol slowed, nearing the scent markers with hackles high and teeth bared.

Rowanstar paused with his paws on the new border, lashing his tail with indignation. “Those crowfood eaters!” He snarled, revealing a set of sharp, yellow teeth. With a scoff, he stepped over the border and paced forward, gesturing for the patrol to follow him.

“Shouldn’t we wait at the border?” Spiderpaw asked, feeling her pelt prick at the thought of entering ThunderClan territory.

Tawnypelt padded up from behind her until she walked at the side of the two apprentices, “We’ll wait at the old border,” She explained, “We won’t honor ThunderClan’s new scent line.”

The patrol paced forward in silence, and Spiderpaw realized that this was her first time seeing the real border. The pine trees of ShadowClan territory blended with the thick oaks of ThunderClan, and a line of faint scent markers cut straight through the trees. She suddenly understood why her clanmates were so angry that the border had been changed to follow the stream. With the new border, a huge chunk of ShadowClan territory was lost, robbing them of valuable hunting grounds.

They emerged into a large clearing of short grass, the old border dividing it straight through the middle. Rowanstar led his warriors to the scent line, flicking his tail for them to gather in battle formation. Spiderpaw took a step forward to join them, but was halted by Tawnypelt’s tail barring her way.

“You won’t be fighting, remember?” The pale tortoiseshell she-cat reminded her. She nosed Spiderpaw and Mistpaw towards the edge of the clearing where the undergrowth was thickest. “You two stay hidden under the brambles. Don’t show yourself unless a cat is injured.”

“Yes, Tawnypelt.” Spiderpaw replied, Mistpaw nodding at her side.

Together, the two she-cats crawled underneath the thick bramble bush. Spiderpaw felt the sharp barbs snag at her fur, flatting herself against the ground so she could see through the low hanging branches. Mistpaw swore as a bramble scraped her nose before she crouched beside the tabby apprentice, her green eyes flashing.

Spiderpaw watched as her clanmates lined up along the border with Rowanstar in the middle. They gazed silently into the trees on the ThunderClan side, claws flexing and tearing at the grass underpaw. Spiderpaw let out a shaky breath as she heard her heart pounding in her ears, suddenly realizing the reality of the situation.

After a few moments, the bushes on the ThunderClan side rustled, and a cat stepped out. Spiderpaw recognized her as one of the cats who visited the ShadowClan camp when she was just a kit. She was a slender ginger she-cat with striking green eyes and one white forepaw. She stalked out of the undergrowth, approaching the battle patrol with bristling fur.

“Greetings, Squirrelflight.” Rowanstar’s words held no friendliness as he addressed her, flexing his shoulders aggressively.

 _Squirrelflight!_ Spiderpaw instantly realized the she-cat was the ThunderClan deputy. Ivytail had told them stories about her and how she helped lead the Clans to the lake after their old territories were destroyed. She had been appointed deputy by her mate, Bramblestar, when he succeeded Firestar as leader.

“Rowanstar.” Squirrelflight growled with equal hostility, lashing her tail. “You’re on ThunderClan territory.”

“Nonsense!” Scorchfur snarled, speaking up from his place on the line of ShadowClan warriors, “This has always been ShadowClan territory.”

Rowanstar hissed at Scorchfur to silence him, but Squirrelflight glared at the smoky warrior through narrowed eyes. “Not anymore. This land belongs to ThunderClan now.”

“You’ll have to fight us for it.” The ShadowClan leader challenged, digging his claws into the grass.

“I thought you’d say that.” Squirrelflight hissed before raising her tail in signal. From the undergrowth, large, battle scarred cats emerged with flashing eyes and bristling fur. Spiderpaw’s breath hitched in her throat as she watched the warriors file out from the foliage. There were so many!

Rowanstar lifted his head and let out a shrieking battle cry before lunging at Squirrelflight. Spiderpaw lost him as cats raged across the clearing and met into battle. Shrieking and yowling split the air. Flattening her ears against her head, Spiderpaw watched the battle in horror.

Snowbird was locked in battle with a golden-brown tabby tom. She slashed at him with claws extended, tearing at the fur on his muzzle. He screeched and leapt at her, bowling the white she-cat over. He pinned her down, digging his claws into her fur and scratching at her belly. She yowled in pain before throwing him off, staggering to her paws with blood dripping from her fur. She shook her head to clear it before leaping back into battle.

Dragging her gaze away from her mentor, Spiderpaw saw that Oakpaw and Aspenpaw were fighting a gray tabby tom side by side, slashing at him from both sides. The tom yowled in rage and leapt for Aspenpaw. Oakpaw bunched his muscles and jumped onto the tom’s back, digging in his claws so he stayed put when the tom tried to shake him off. Aspenpaw lunged for the tom’s throat and he vanished beneath the two ShadowClan apprentices.

Spiderpaw gasped when a ginger she-cat threw herself into the battle, grabbing Aspenpaw by the scruff of his neck and nearly throwing him across the clearing. The dark red apprentice fell, stunned, and the she-cat leapt on top of him. Spiderpaw felt her blood run cold as the she-cat sank her teeth into the apprentice’s throat, blood clotting the fur on her chest and muzzle.

She heard a gasp of horror from her side and saw that Mistpaw was trying to crawl out from under the bush to help. Spiderpaw sank her teeth into her friend’s scruff, holding her back. “You can’t!” She growled with a mouthful of fur, “You’ll be killed!”

Mistpaw struggled against her grip, and the two she-cats watched as Aspenpaw’s struggles grew weaker. Suddenly, Tigerheart erupted from the fray and leapt onto the she-cats back. She immediately released the apprentice as Tigerheart carried her off her paws and pinned her to the ground. He dug his claws into her belly fur, sending up tuffs of fur and blood into the air. Only when she squealed in agony did he let her go. Mistpaw stopped struggling, shoulders sagging with relief as the she-cat staggered to her paws and vanished into the undergrowth on the ThunderClan side.

“Spiderpaw, look!” Mistpaw gasped suddenly from beside her, flicking her ears towards the far side of the clearing.

Tawnypelt was wrestling with a golden tabby tom, blood dripping from a scratch across her muzzle. She dodged when the tom lunged at her, narrowly avoiding a heavy blow from one of his massive forepaws. He turned with her and sank his teeth into her shoulder, causing her to shriek in pain. She writhed underneath him as he pinned her down, blood pouring from the wound in her shoulder. Spiderpaw held her breath, willing Tawnypelt to get up and fight him off. There were no ShadowClan cats nearby to help her like Tigerheart had helped Aspenpaw. She watched as the tortoiseshell she-cat rolled onto her back and kicked her hind paws into the tom’s belly, knocking him off of her. Knowing she was beaten, the tom snarled at her and leapt back into battle, leaving Tawnypelt sprawled in the grass.

Brambles scraped against her spine as Spiderpaw crawled out from under the brambles. She stuck to the edges of the clearing as she bounded towards Tawnypelt, her heart pounding in her chest. She skidded to a halt at the pale she-cats side, looking down at her with wide eyes.

She let out a sigh of relief as Tawnypelt opened her eyes and struggled to her paws, staggering as she slipped on the blood-stained grass. Spiderpaw hurried forward and supported Tawnypelt with her shoulder, leading the she-cat away from the clearing.

“I can still fight.” Tawnypelt panted, though she leaned heavily on Spiderpaw, unable to put her weight on the leg with her injured shoulder.

“No, you can’t.” Spiderpaw snapped, “You’re badly wounded.”

She led Tawnypelt through the trees, the undergrowth closing behind her as they headed away from the clearing of fighting cats. They walked at an agonizingly slow pace, but Spiderpaw knew Tawnypelt was going as fast as she could. The tabby apprentice wrinkled her nose at the scent of blood and tried not to look at the red trail they left in the melting snow behind them.

When they reached the camp, Spiderpaw let out a yowl to alert her clanmates of their arrival. Grassheart squeezed through the thorn tunnel entrance, walking on Tawnypelt’s other side as the she-cat staggered onwards. The three cats emerged into the camp and were immediately greeted by Finchpaw and Ravenpaw, who looked at Tawnypelt with wide eyes.

“Is she okay?” Ravenpaw asked warily, stepping out of the way as the she-cats led Tawnypelt towards the medicine den.

“She will be.” Grassheart assured her, flicking her tail over the black apprentice’s ear as they passed.

Littlecloud was waiting for them at the entrance to the medicine den, his pelt bristling when he saw the injured warrior. He led them into the den, and Spiderpaw helped lower Tawnypelt into one of the soft, mossy nests that Littlecloud left empty for his patients.

With a jolt, Spiderpaw realized she had never been into this part of the camp before. Kit were usually kept away from the medicine den because they were known for getting into the herb store and making a mess of things. The medicine den was a large den underneath the branches of a bramble bush with a sandy, hollowed out floor. At one side, she could see a dip in the ground where herbs were neatly stacked and protected by a wall of ferns. Littlecloud’s nest was beside it with a pile of dried moss.

The small medicine cat reached a paw into the hollow of herbs, snagging a few dark colored leaves on one claw. He glanced up at Spiderpaw, who was standing beside Tawnypelt with wide eyes. “Fetch some cobwebs to patch her wound,” He ordered.

Sliding through the den entrance, she raced across the camp and through the thorn tunnel. She remembered Aspenpaw telling his mentor about a swath of cobwebs beneath a fallen tree just outside of camp. Looking around, she saw the fallen tree beneath patches of melting snow and fallen pine needles. She approached it and saw that its trunk was hollowed out on the inside. Crouching down, she peered inside and immediately saw massive clumps of cobweb gathered inside.

Extending a paw, she wrapped the sticky web around her front leg until she couldn’t see the dark brown fur underneath. With a satisfied flick of her tail, she hobbled back into the camp. Ravenpaw and Finchpaw were crouched by the fresh-kill pile, though they were too anxious about the battle to eat.

“Can we help?” Finchpaw called, her cream fur glowing in the light of the setting sun.

“Littlecloud will need more cobwebs like this.” Spiderpaw told them, pausing beside the two she-cats, “There’s a hollowed out tree just outside with loads!”

“We can do that!” Finchpaw leapt to her paws, flicking her tail for Ravenpaw to follow. The two apprentices bounced out of camp, excited to be able to help.

When she entered the medicine den, Spiderpaw saw that Littlecloud had chewed a concoction of herbs into a pulp and licked it into Tawnypelt’s wound. She extended her cobweb-covered paw, her worried gaze falling on the pale she-cat.

“She’ll be okay.” Littlecloud assured her, “The wound is deep but it’ll heal.”

He unraveled the cobweb from her paw and placed it over Tawnypelt’s wound, securing the poultice in place. Spiderpaw was relieved to see that the bleeding had stopped, and Tawnypelt lifted her head as soon as Littlecloud was done.

“What did you put on it?” Spiderpaw asked, leaning forward to sniff at Tawnypelt’s shoulder. The herb poultice smelled sharp and fragrant, and she wrinkled her nose as she stifled a sneeze.

“Comfrey and goldenrod.” Littlecloud explained, gesturing to the unused herbs at his paws. She could see a few green leaves mixed with a bright, yellow plant. “They’ll help the wound heal and prevent any infection.”

“Thank you, Spiderpaw.” Tawnypelt’s green eyes sparkled as she looked at the apprentice, “I thought Lionblaze had turned me into crowfood.”

Shuffling her paws with embarrassment, Spiderpaw looked down at the ground. She let out a small sigh as she remembered the way the golden warrior had attacked Tawnypelt so savagely.

“What’s wrong?” Tawnypelt asked her gently.

“I didn’t think the battle would be like _that._ ” Spiderpaw blurted out, lashing her tail with indignation.

Tawnypelt’s gaze softened, and she leaned forward to touch her nose to Spiderpaw’s ear, wincing when she flexed her shoulder. “You’re young, so it must seem scary. But battles are a part of clan life.”

Spiderpaw was about to respond when she heard murmurs coming from the main clearing. A moment later, Mistpaw appeared guiding Toadfoot into the medicine den. The dark brown tom had one eye that was swollen shut. He sank into one of the nests beside Tawnypelt with a sigh, and Spiderpaw noticed that he left paw prints smudged with blood on the sandy floor.

“Toadfoot wrenched a claw.” Mistpaw informed Littlecloud, pacing around her mentor with bristling fur. “And one of the ThunderClan cats scratched his eye. Will he be okay? Will we still be able to train?”

“Keep your fur on,” Toadfoot scolded, “It’s just a scratch.”

“You should head back to the battle,” Littlecloud turned to the two apprentices, “More cats might be wounded.”

Spiderpaw dipped her head before turning away from the medicine den, only to be called back by Tawnypelt. “Wait! Is Tigerheart okay? Or Rowanstar?” She was clearly worried about her son and her mate.

Mistpaw blinked at the injured warrior. “Tigerheart was helping Oakpaw chase off some apprentices. I think Rowanstar is still fighting.”

Spiderpaw followed the red she-cat out of the medicine den and across the clearing. They had almost reached the entrance when the thorn tunnel shuddered and her clanmates filed into the camp with Rowanstar at the lead. The clan leader looked ruffled but not badly injured, to Spiderpaw’s relief. He held his head high with eyes sparkling.

Crowfrost and Ivytail emerged after him and Mistpaw bounded across to her mother, pressing her nose into the she-cat’s fur with a purr. The rest of her clanmates followed them, and Spiderpaw saw that most of them bore scratches and their pelts were smeared with blood, but none of them looked seriously wounded. Even Aspenpaw, who had been so brutally attacked during the battle, was on his paws with his eyes shining. His throat was stained with blood, but when she looked closer she saw that the wound wasn’t very deep. She let out a sigh of relief when Tigerheart and Oakpaw pushed through the entrance, unharmed.

She bounced across the clearing to the two toms, greeting them with a purr. They both looked tired from the battle but their eyes were bright as they looked at her.

“We won!” Oakpaw told her, pressing against her side, “Those ThunderClan flea-pelts retreated back into their own territory! Stoatfur and Scorchfur stayed behind the remark the border, but the land is ours!”

Rowanstar paced across the clearing and leapt onto the hazel branch that overhung the camp. He didn’t need to call his usual summons as most of the clan was already in the clearing. Spiderpaw joined her clanmates as they gathered in front of him, taking her spot beside Snowbird and Oakpaw at the edge of the crowd.

When the cats had gathered, Rowanstar raised his head, “Today, ThunderClan challenged our borders, but they were unsuccessful. My brave warriors chased those mangy crowfood eaters back into their stinking forest, reclaiming our land.”

Caterwauls of joy greeted his words before he even finished speaking. Spiderpaw felt her paws tingle at the thought that she helped win the battle - even if it was just helping the injured cats back to camp. She was finally becoming an important part of her clan!

As the yowling died away, she saw Ratscar, a skinny brown elder take a step forward. He had a long scar across her back, and Spiderpaw knew he was no stranger to battles. However, his eyes looked troubled as he looked up at Rowanstar. “But why did they want our land in the first place?” He asked, “ThunderClan have never pressed our borders so aggressively before.”

Rowanstar shook his head, “I didn’t exactly have time to ask. Only StarClan knows.”

Tigerheart lifted his muzzle, “They seemed thinner than usual. Perhaps something is happening to the prey in their territory?”

A few curious murmurs met his words and it was a moment before Rowanstar could make himself heard. “Whatever the reason, stealing our territory is not the answer. Today we showed them that our land will not be so easily taken.”

He continued speaking, but Spiderpaw’s attention was snatched away as she pondered over his words. Why _did_ ThunderClan want their territory? She remembered the way Lionblaze had so viciously attacked Tawnypelt. She didn’t need experience to know that the battle had been more savage than usual. What was happening in ThunderClan that pushed them to the point of breaking the warrior code?

Dread turned her blood cold. Her clanmates seemed to think their territory had been won back for good. However, she couldn’t help but think this wasn’t the last they would see of ThunderClan on their land.

 _Will they try to take our territory again?_   She wondered, _And will our victory be so certain next time?_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! The next chapter is going to be REALLY intense so keep a lookout for that!
> 
> Thanks so much to everyone who left comments and kudos on the last chapter, I really appreciate it!!!


	5. Chapter 5

One moon had passed since Spiderpaw had been made an apprentice and the battle with ThunderClan. Her clanmates had recovered from their wounds after the battle, and even Tawnypelt was finally able to join regular patrols after her shoulder had been so badly damaged.

It was strange sleeping in the apprentice’s den after spending six moons in the nursery. The apprentices often found themselves staying awake long after retreating to their den, comparing training techniques and bragging about who caught the largest prey. Spiderpaw and Mistpaw had made their nests in the outermost part of the den after the oldest apprentices claimed their nests in the middle.

It was nice to finally be able to train alongside the other apprentices. Even Sparrowpaw who had teased her relentlessly in the nursery started to treat her with new respect. She wasn’t a kit anymore - but a ShadowClan apprentice!

After Aspenclaw had been made a warrior the night after the battle, Oakpaw was the oldest apprentice in the den. He would be made a warrior any day now, and Spiderpaw felt her heart ache at the thought of not sharing a den with him anymore. In the moon of her apprenticeship, she had grown closer to him and enjoyed training alongside him.

Mistpaw liked to tease her about mooning over Oakpaw, much to her dismay. She hoped the rumors hadn’t reached the tabby tom.

Newleaf had finally arrived, bringing with it warmer weather and the promise of new growth in the forest. Dawn patrols were easier to bear now that the forest wasn’t laden with frost, and Spiderpaw found herself eager to tag along to as many as she could. There was something about the forest in the morning, just after the sun rose, that felt serene and welcoming.

Now, she padded at the rear of the dawn patrol one early morning. The sun had yet to rise, though the sky was turning a pale shade of blue as the light began to crest the horizon. Tigerheart was leading the patrol with Finchpaw at his side and Spiderpaw and Snowbird following behind. They strolled through the tall pines, their pawsteps heavy with sleep, as they approached the RiverClan border.

The trees faded to a grassy slope that led down to a narrow thunderpath on the edge of their territory. She remembered her mentor telling her the thunderpath marked the border between the two Clans, but the smell was much more fragrant than she remembered.

“Look! There’s monsters on the thunderpath!” Finchpaw mewed, pointing her cream tabby tail at the black path.

Narrowing her eyes to see through the fading darkness, Spiderpaw realized she was right. She had never seen monsters before, and her eyes widened when she saw how big they were. Even from the top of the slope, the monsters were far bigger than the cats with hard, shiny pelts and glowing eyes. They growled and snarled as they prowled down the thunderpath, leaving a trail of acrid smoke in their wake.

“They’re huge!” Spiderpaw gasped, feeling the fur on her shoulders bristle as she looked at the monsters, “Will they come into the forest?”

Tigerheart padded to her side, his ears pricked as he looked down at the thunderpath. “No,” He reassured her, “Monsters never seem to leave the thunderpath. I expect they’re headed to the twolegplace. It’s a bit early in the seasons for twolegs, but maybe they’re enjoying the warmer weather as much as we are.”

Spiderpaw tilted her head to the side, watching as a large white monsters prowled down the thunderpath and slowed to a halt at the edge of the lake. It’s roar was cut short as the light of its eyes winked out. It was too far away to see if it was asleep, but she breathed a sigh of relief that it hadn’t spotted the patrol of cats.

Tigerheart led the patrol away from the thunderpath and along the line of trees, marking the border as they went. Spiderpaw sniffed the air for any sign of RiverClan, satisfied when she only smelled ShadowClan scent on their side. The patrol finally left the border and headed back towards camp as the sun broke through the trees, turning the forest a pale shade of gold.

A light shove on her side made her stumble, and she turned her head to see Finchpaw blinking at her mischievously. “I’ll race you back to camp!” The cream she-cat challenged, “I bet I’ll get there first.”

“No way!” Spiderpaw yowled, breaking into a run. The two apprentices raced through the trees, kicking up pine needles and morning dew as they ran side-by-side towards the camp. Spiderpaw growled with frustration when Finchpaw pulled ahead, taking advantage of her longer legs. She pushed harder, her paws barely skimming the forest floor as she pursued Finchpaw, eager to win the race.

A starling screeched an alarm as they hared through the forest, flying out of the way just moments before their paws landed where it had been pecking at the ground. After a few moments, Spiderpaw could see the brambles encircling the camp, and flew past Finchpaw with a victorious yowl.

She pushed through the thorn tunnel and leapt into the clearing, spinning around in time to see Finchpaw follow, panting. The cream she-cat’s eyes sparkled, “You’re fast!”

Spiderpaw’s reply was cut off by a desperate wail from behind. She whipped her head around to see Dawnpelt emerging from the nursery, her eyes wide with fear. “My kits are gone!”

Alerted by the she-cats cries, cats began to emerge from their dens, fur bristling. Crowfrost, her mate, bounded from where he stood at the foot of the clearing to her side. His and Dawnpelt’s kits, Frogkit and Dewkit, had been born less than a moon ago. Spiderpaw recalled how Littlecloud had spent all night at Dawnpelt’s side until her kits had been born, and the Clan’s excitement at having new warriors.

Tigerheart and Snowbird pushed through the branches of the thorn tunnel, their bristling fur a sign that they had heard Dawnpelt’s alarm. Tigerheart raced across the clearing to his sister’s side, resting his tail on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. “What happened?” He asked.

“They were in the nest beside me when I fell asleep last night,” Dawnpelt explained, her voice shaking, “But when I woke up they were gone! A fox has gotten them - I just know it!”

“We don’t know that,” Crowfrost assured her, “Maybe they’re in the camp. Pinenose, check the warrior’s den. Stoatfur, go to the medicine den and see if they’re there. Tigerheart and Snowbird can check the rest of the camp. I’ll let Rowanstar know.”

The black-and-white deputy headed across the camp to the clan leader’s den as the other warriors dispersed, nosing through the dens in search of the kits. Spiderpaw and Finchpaw raced across the clearing to the apprentice’s den, shouldering through the narrow entrance.

Mistpaw lifted her head, eyes heavy with sleep, disturbed by their sudden appearance. “What’s going on?” She asked with a yawn.

“The kits are gone!” Finchpaw told her, sifting through one of the empty nests on the edge of the den. Spiderpaw saw Sparrowpaw and Oakpaw leap to their paws immediately, helping the two she-cats search the den. She pawed through her own nest, snorting with irritation when she found no sign of the kits. “Where’s Ravenpaw?” She asked.

“She had a bellyache.” Sparrowpaw informed her without looking up from where he sniffed along the edge of the den, “She went to see Littlecloud.”

“They’re not here.” Oakpaw mewed, “I’ll go let the warriors know.”

The tabby tom pushed through the entrance and the rest of the apprentices followed, filing into the clearing where the other warriors had gathered in an anxious circle. Rowanstar had joined Dawnpelt outside the nursery and Oakpaw padded to his mentor’s side. As Spiderpaw approached she heard Rowanstar’s urgent mew.

“The kits aren’t in camp. We’ll have to send out search parties.” He was meowing to Dawnpelt, who looked horrified at the thought of her kits venturing outside of the camp. “I’m sure they’re fine, but we must find them before they get themselves into trouble.”

Crowfrost flicked his tail to gather the warriors, dividing them into search parties. “Pinenose, Scorchfur,  and Aspenclaw can search the areas nearest the camp. Tawnypelt, Sparrowpaw, and Owlclaw go to the twoleg nest - we can’t risk the kittypets finding them. Snowbird, Spiderpaw, Toadfoot, and Mistpaw can head to the ThunderClan border.”

“I’ll lead a patrol, as well.” Rowanstar stepped forward, “Crowfrost and Oakpaw can come with me to the RiverClan border.”

Stoatfur emerged from the medicine den and hurried across to where the warriors were standing. “Ravenpaw told me that Littlecloud isn’t in camp either. He went to find watermint by the stream near the ThunderClan border.”

Crowfrost nodded and turned to Snowbird, “Look for him by the border. If the kits are injured they’ll need him to care of them immediately.”

The white she-cat nodded. Crowfrost flicked his tail to dismiss the warriors and the cats who hadn’t been chosen for patrols retreated to their dens. Mistpaw bounced to Spiderpaw’s side, her fur fluffed out so that she looked like a red thistle. While they waited for Toadfoot and Snowbird to lead their patrol out of camp, Spiderpaw watched Rowanstar round up his own cats.

Oakpaw stood at his mentor’s side, almost as big as the dark ginger leader. His green eyes sparkled and his claws dug into the ground in his anticipation to find the kits. He caught Spiderpaw’s eye and stepped forward to touch noses with her. “Be safe at the ThunderClan border,” He mewed, “Those cats are only trouble.”

Warmed by his words, she purred, “I will.”

“Oakpaw, let’s go!” Rowanstar called to his apprentice from the camp entrance.

The tabby apprentice dipped his head to Spiderpaw and bounded across the clearing to his leader’s side, head and tail raised high as they left. Mistpaw butted her shoulder with her head, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Oakpaw _likes_ you!” She mewed teasingly.

Spiderpaw grew hot under her pelt, leaning down to give her chest fur a few embarrassed licks. However, she couldn’t help but feel her paws tingle when she thought of Oakpaw. “He’s a great cat.” She replied, earning an amused purr from Mistpaw.

“Are you two ready to go?” Toadfoot’s words made them both jump before spinning around to face the dark brown tom. Mistpaw nodded to her mentor and Spiderpaw clawed eagerly at the ground.

The two mentors led them quickly out of camp, pausing to scent the air just outside the thorn tunnel. Beneath the fresh scents of Rowanstar’s patrol, Spiderpaw could detect the faintest kit scent. She could tell by Snowbird and Toadfoot’s wide eyes that they had smelled it too.

“They were alone when they left camp, so it’s unlikely they were taken by another clan or rogues.” Snowbird noted, scanning the undergrowth for signs of the kits. She padded forward to the line of brambles beneath the pines, “The scent disappears here. We’ll have to find them without it.”

“We’ll start where the border meets the lake and make our way up to the outskirts of Clan territory.” Toadfoot suggested, leading the patrol through the tall pines in the direction of the lake, “StarClan willing, we’ll find them before any predators do.”

When the cats reached the lake, Spiderpaw relished in the way the sun warmed her back when she stepped out from the shelter of the trees. Leafbare had been long and harsh, and she had been a very young kit when leaffall hit the forest. The sunlight sparkled on the water, turning the lake a silvery-blue. She closed her eyes as a light breeze ruffled her fur, smelling of water and warmth.

Her patrol scanned the shore for the kits until they reached the border with ThunderClan. Spiderpaw’s pelt bristled at the scent, remembering the vicious battle. She hoped the kits hadn’t made it this far. The warrior code stated that no clan cat could harm a kit, but it seemed ThunderClan had forgotten to follow the code.

Reluctantly, she followed her mentor as they left the lake and headed deeper into the forest. Now and then, they came across Littlecloud’s scent and evidence of herbs that had been chewed off stems.

“Thank StarClan newleaf has finally come.” Snowbird commented, nodding towards a spot where it looked like the medicine cat had dug up the roots of a plant. “The herbs are starting to grow back and Littlecloud will find it easier to treat any sickness or wounds. It was hard, after the last battle.”

Spiderpaw remembered how Littlecloud had used the last of his healing herbs on the wounded cats until he had nothing left. The strongest cats had to heal with minimal herbs, and thankfully no injuries had gotten infected. She could still remember Tawnypelt’s pained moans as her shoulder slowly healed when they had run out of poppy seeds to ease her pain.

Eventually, they reached the stream that veered away from the border and deeper into their land. The patrol halted at the edge of the water, mouths open to taste the air for any sign of the kits. Spiderpaw padded along the scent markers, lashing her tail in frustration when all she could scent was the reek of ThunderClan.

“The kits haven’t come this way.” She turned to her mentor, who was sniffing at a low hanging bramble bush.

Snowbird nodded, beckoning with her tail for Toadfoot and Mistpaw, who were peering into the undergrowth on the ThunderClan side. “We’ll find Littlecloud and head back to camp. Hopefully one of the other search patrols will find them.”

The white she-cat began to pad along the bank of the stream when a yowl sounded from the trees behind them. Spiderpaw whipped around to see Ravenpaw bounding towards them, her eyes wide with fear. The black apprentice skidded to a half next to them, her pelt bristling and claws unsheathed. “Oakpaw’s hurt! We need Littlecloud!”

Spiderpaw felt her hackles raise as she listened, her belly knotting with dread. Toadfoot rested his tail across Ravenpaw’s shoulders as the apprentice caught her breath. “What happened?!” He pressed.

“Rowanstar’s patrol found the kits!” Ravenpaw managed to inform them through gasps, “But they were attacked by a fox. It got Oakpaw!”

Toadfoot exchanged an alarmed glance with Snowbird. “Littlecloud should be nearby if he’s still collecting herbs.”

The five cats hared through the trees along the stream bank, following the medicine cat’s fading scent. Spiderpaw’s heart pounded in her chest, terrified that they might be too late. Littlecloud could have finished gathering herbs and headed somewhere else. Her breath caught in her throat as she imagined Oakpaw attacked by a fox. Was he going to die?

However, StarClan answered their silent prayer, and Mistpaw was the first cat to see Littlecloud crouching at the water’s edge. He glanced up in alarm as the cats approached him, a bundle of watermint in his jaws.

“Littlecloud!” Toadfoot yowled, kicking up pine needles as he skidded to a halt beside the medicine cat. “Oakpaw’s badly injured!”

The small tabby tom dropped his herbs, ears pricked in alarm. “What happened?”

“A fox!” Ravenpaw put in, quivering with fear, “It got him.”

Littlecloud rose to his paws, his expression calm and determined. He turned to the apprentices and mewed, “Carry these herbs back to camp, please. Toadfoot and Snowbird will go back to camp with me.”

“What if the fox comes back?” Snowbird asked anxiously, glancing at the young apprentices.

“It was near RiverClan.” Ravenpaw explained, “Rowanstar sent a patrol to chase it away.”

The older cats bounded away, leaving the three she-cats standing beside the stream. Her fur fluffed out in fear, Spiderpaw turned to her friends with wide eyes. “What if Oakpaw dies? How badly hurt was he?” She asked Ravenpaw.

“Rowanstar and Crowfrost carried him back to camp.” The black she-cat explained, “They sent me to find Littlecloud before I could see his wounds.”

“Littlecloud will need these herbs to treat him.” Mistpaw pushed past them and gathered a bundle of watermint in her jaws, though the alarm in her eyes betrayed her calm tone. “The sooner we get back, the better.” She mewed through a mouthful of herbs.

The three apprentices raced quickly through the trees, each laden with the herbs the medicine cat had left. The bitter leaves made Spiderpaw screw up her nose in disgust, but she knew they would be important in healing Oakpaw. As they approached the camp, she felt her heart begin to pound so loud that she was surprised the other cats couldn’t hear it.

She half-expected to hear wails of grief coming from the camp, but there was an unnerving silence that had fallen over the forest. Even the constant sound of prey moving amongst the undergrowth was muted, filling Spiderpaw with dread. It seemed even the forest was holding its breath.

She led the way through the entrance to the camp, her friends squeezing through the thorns behind her. When she emerged into the clearing, her eyes widened to see how many cats were gathered in the clearing.

Her clanmates formed a ragged circle in the middle of the camp, their fur spiking as they looked at something hidden from view. Spiderpaw dropped her herbs outside the circle and pushed her way through the cats, terrified of what she might find.

She let out a horrified gasp when she saw Oakpaw lying on the ground, sprawled on his side. His dark tabby fur was clotted with blood and criss-crossed with scratches and bite marks. One of his ears had been shredded and blood pulsed from a terrible wound in his shoulder. The fur had been torn away, revealing a deep gash from his shoulder down his flank. She felt sick as she looked at the way his leg hung limp, as though the life had been torn from it. For a moment, she thought he was surely dead, but she could see the faint rise and fall of his flank as he fought for breath.

Littlecloud was leaning over him, desperately pressing cobwebs into the wound on his shoulder to try and stop the bleeding.

“Get back!” Crowfrost ordered, shouldering his way through the group of cats to reach Littlecloud’s side. “Give him room.”

Spiderpaw felt rooted to the spot as her clanmates retreated to the edge of the clearing, falling silent in their shared horror. Ravenpaw and Mistpaw approached from behind her, dropping their herbs beside her as they gazed at the horribly wounded apprentice.

“You too.” Crowfrost waved them away with his tail.

Spiderpaw felt Mistpaw nudge her gently from the side and allowed her friend to guide her away from Oakpaw. They paused just outside the apprentices den, and Spiderpaw felt as though she might vomit.

“He’s going to die.” She whispered, feeling her body shake as she crouched down, unable to tear her gaze away from Littlecloud and Oakpaw.

“If anyone can save him, Littlecloud can.” Mistpaw assured her, leaning down beside her and pressing against Spiderpaw’s flank comfortingly. Ravenpaw paced in front of them, the fur along her spine rippling with indignation.

The camp entrance rustled as Rowanstar led Aspenclaw, Stoatfur, and Scorchfur into the clearing. All four warriors looked ruffled, staggering into camp on unsteady paws. Crowfrost bounded across the clearing to his leader’s side, eyes wide. “Is the fox gone?”

Rowanstar’s amber eyes flashed as he looked at his deputy, “It’s dead.”

“You _killed_ it?” Tawnypelt gasped, standing up from where she had crouched beside the warrior’s den. “Just the four of you?”

Rowanstar nodded, “It deserved to die for what it did to my apprentice.”

“How are the kits?” Stoatfur padded forward, her paws leaving a trail of fox blood in the short grass.

Crowfrost nodded towards the nursery, “They’re with Dawnpelt. They weren’t injured, but Littlecloud looked them over and gave them thyme for the shock. Littlecloud hasn’t had the chance to move Oakpaw to his den, yet. He’s afraid of making his wounds worse.”

The clan fell silent as Rowanstar headed for the pile of stones at one side of the clearing. Bunching his muscles, he leapt onto the highest stone and yowled a summons to the clan. “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather in the clearing.”

Most of the cats were already in the clearing, and Spiderpaw let Mistpaw nudge her to her feet and guide her across the clearing. They sat down near the front of the crowd and were quickly joined by the other apprentices. Snowbird, Toadfoot, Tawnypelt, and Pinenose gathered behind them, nodding to their apprentices with gentle gazes. Spiderpaw was hardly aware of the other cats gathering around her, her pelt pricking as she gazed up at Rowanstar.

The ginger leader raised his head once the cats had gathered and raised his voice so they could all hear him. “Dewkit and Frogkit have been found and are with Dawnpelt now. Littlecloud made sure they weren’t injured, and are recovering from their shock.”

“Where did you find them?” Pinenose called from where she sat.

“My patrol found them near the RiverClan border. Oakpaw was the first to find their scent, accompanied by the scent of fox. The kits had snuck into a fox hole.”

“Mousebrains! They could have been killed!” Crowfrost snarled, though his eyes were glazed with relief. Spiderpaw remembered that Dewkit and Frogkit were his sons, and realized he must have been terrified for them.

Rowanstar continued. “We were attacked by the fox, and Oakpaw ventured into the den to help the kits escape while Crowfrost and I fought it off. However, the fox got away from us and fled into the den. Oakpaw sacrificed himself so that the kits could escape. By the time we reached him, the fox had escaped.”

The Clan listened in a stun silence.

“Oakpaw showed that he has the true heart of a warrior today.” Rowanstar’s voice faltered, his eyes falling on his wounded apprentice. “There is a ritual that, thankfully, few leaders must perform in their lifetime. If a dying apprentice is worthy, he can made a warrior so that he may take a warrior name to StarClan. If he dies, then StarClan will receive him as an honorable warrior.”

The ginger tom looked up at the sky, his amber eyes glistening with grief. The sun shone down on the camp as it reached its highest point in the sky. Spiderpaw wondered if she was imagining a single, brighter beam of sunlight that fell on the wounded apprentice.

Rowanstar jumped down from the stones and padded across the clearing to where Oakpaw lay. Littlecloud dipped his head and took a step back, his paws matted with the apprentice’s blood. The Clan watched in a mournful silence as their leader began to speak.

“I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice.” He began, “He has learned the warrior code and given up his life in service to his Clan. Let StarClan receive him as a full warrior. He will be known as Oakshade, and honored for his gallantry and service to his Clan.”

“Oakshade! Oakshade!” The Clan yowled the new warrior’s name, their voices cracking with grief. Spiderpaw raised her muzzle and called Oakshade’s name to the sky, her heart aching.

“If Oakshade lives, then he will be honored as a courageous warrior.” Rowanstar meowed, “He will be treated with the highest honor and respected for his sacrifice.”

Littlecloud stepped forward, turning his pale blue gaze on his leader. “Oakshade’s wounds are unlike any I’ve seen before. I might be able to save him, but not alone.”

Rowanstar opened his mouth, confused, but the medicine cat cut him off. “I need another medicine cat to help me care for him.”

“Another medicine cat?” Rowanstar asked, tilting his head to the side.

“Yes.” Littlecloud held his gaze evenly. “I want you to send a patrol to ThunderClan and ask Leafpool if she will help us.”

“Have you gone mad?!” Tigerheart stepped forward, his ears flat against his head, “You want to walk onto enemy territory and ask them to let us have their medicine cat? They’ll rip our pelts off!”

“No, they won’t.” Littlecloud assured him. “The medicine cats are bound by our own code. Leafpool won’t let another cat die if she can help it. ThunderClan _must_ help us.”

Rowanstar shook his head, a low growl rumbling in his throat. “We recently fought against ThunderClan. How can we be sure they’ll want to help us? Last time we saw them, they tried to tear our throats out!”

Littlecloud lashed his tail, baring his teeth, shocking Spiderpaw. She had never seen the medicine cat look so aggressive. With a jolt, she realized he must be very desperate for Oakshade if he was willing to confront his leader in the middle of a Clan meeting. The medicine cat snarled, “Oakshade will _die_ if we don’t ask for their help. Leafpool has dealt with similar wounds in the past. She is his only chance of survival.”

Rowanstar hesitated, narrowing his eyes as the cats around him waited for their leader’s answer. His amber eyes looked down at his former apprentice, who still lay unconscious at Littlecloud’s paws. The ginger tom dug his claws into the short grass underpaw and sighed.

“Okay.” He conceded, “I’ll send a patrol to ThunderClan.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally wrote this chapter and chapter five as a whole, but decided to split them up because it was sooooo long. I hope that's okay!!
> 
> Chapter five will be up soon, but I'll give this one a few days to stand on its own. Thank you to everyone who has left kudos and comments! <3


	6. Chapter 6

“I’ll lead the patrol.” Tigerheart offered immediately, padding to his father’s side. Rowanstar blinked proudly at his son, reaching forward with his tail to touch the tabby warrior’s shoulder.

“Take Tawnypelt with you.” The leader meowed, beckoning to the pale tortoiseshell, “Bramblestar will be more inclined to listen if his sister is there.”

Littlecloud dipped his head to the three warriors, “Thank you, Rowanstar. Oakshade might have a chance now.”

“We’ll need more cats in case we’re met with hostility.” Tawnypelt advised, glancing at the cats around them. Spiderpaw felt her paws itch with longing to go with them, eager to do anything she could to help Oakshade.

“I want to go!” She blurted out, her eyes widening when she realized she had spoken out of turn at a Clan meeting. The older cats turned to look at her when Littlecloud spoke. “Let her go. Snowbird can complete the patrol.”

“An apprentice? On enemy territory?” Tigerheart asked in disbelief. Spiderpaw felt her fur bristle with indignation at her father’s words. She wasn’t a kit anymore! In the moon since her apprenticeship, Snowbird had taught her enough battle moves to be able to take on a hostile ThunderClan patrol. Her claws flexed with the thought of being able to finally take part in battle, but shook out her pelt when she remembered they weren’t going to be fighting. They needed to ask Leafpool for help.

“They’ll be less likely to start a fight if you look less intimidating.” Littlecloud advised, “More than three warriors will look like an invasion. Any less and you risk being outnumbered if they attack.”

Tigerheart sighed, “Okay. She can come with us.”

Yes! Spiderpaw’s tail shot up happily, but stopped herself from giving an excited bounce. She wanted to help Oakshade, and didn’t want to look like a kit who didn’t know how to behave. 

The sun had begun its descent towards the horizon when the patrol reached the ShadowClan border. Spiderpaw began to feel her paws grow heavy with wariness, after the dawn patrol and the search for the kits and worrying over Oakshade. However, she managed to stifle a yawn as Tigerheart called the patrol to a halt.

“Should we wait for a patrol?” Tigerheart asked Tawnypelt, who stopped at his side. The tortoiseshell she-cat shook her head. “It’s much too early for the sunset patrol. We’ll have to press on until we find someone or reach the camp.”

The dark tabby tom nodded and stepped hesitantly across the scent line. Spiderpaw could sense the tension in the patrol as they padded onto enemy territory. It was strange, entering ThunderClan land so soon after the battle. However, there hadn’t been any skirmishes over the border since the battle, so maybe ThunderClan had decided to cease hostilities. 

Tigerheart led them deeper into the forest, and Spiderpaw began to feel weary under the heavy canopy of trees. ThunderClan territory was so much different from ShadowClan. Here, the trees were thicker with more dense leaves and grew closer together. The undergrowth was so thick she was amazed that any cat could find their way around. 

She snorted with frustration as she tripped over a trailing bramble. “This place is horrible! Why would any cat want to live here?”

“We like it here!”

She froze when a voice angrily greeted her words. Turning her head in the direction of the voice, she saw a golden tabby tom standing at the head of the slope that lead to where her patrol was standing. Immediately, she recognized him as the tom who had injured Tawnypelt in the battle. She managed to keep her pelt from bristling as the tom headed towards them, not wanting to start a fight with these battle hungry cats.

“Lionblaze.” Tigerheart greeted the tom levely. Spiderpaw watched as a battle scarred silver-and-white she-cat followed Lionblaze from the undergrowth, a small gray apprentice beside her.

Lionblaze halted a few tail-lengths from their patrol, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. “What are you doing on our territory?” He asked with a growl.

“We need to speak with Bramblestar.” Tigerheart responded, keeping his voice calm though Spiderpaw could see him struggling to hold his temper in retaliation to Lionblaze’s aggressive approach. 

“Why?” Lionblaze asked, lashing his tail as the she-cat and apprentice reached his side. Spiderpaw noticed that the apprentice was about her age, with wide blue eyes and a fluffy pelt. He didn’t look as unfriendly as his clanmate, and instead was looking at the ShadowClan patrol with unguarded curiosity. 

“We need to speak with  _ Bramblestar. _ ” Tigerheart repeated.

Lionblaze hesitated until the silver-and-white she-cat spoke, “Oh, let them come, Lionblaze. We’ll find out what they want soon enough.”

The golden tom glared at the ShadowClan patrol before nodding. “Come on, then.” He growled, jerking his head for the cats to follow him as he led the way into the trees.

The ThunderClan patrol encircled their own, with Tigerheart and Lionblaze padding side by side at the head. Snowbird followed close behind with Spiderpaw a few paces behind her. The fluffy gray apprentice bounced at her side while the gray-and-white she-cat and Tawnypelt took up the rear.

“Hi!” The apprentice greeted, looking at her with bright eyes. Spiderpaw was taken aback by his friendliness. Didn’t he know about the tensions between their clans? “My name is Dustpaw, what’s yours?”

“Spiderpaw.” She replied, her gaze fixed on the path so she wouldn’t stumble on more trailing brambles. Dustpaw didn’t seem to have any trouble navigating, squeezing through brambles with no hesitation and ignoring the way the barbs tugged at his long pelt.

“What’s it like?” He mewed suddenly.

“What’s  _ what _ like?” Spiderpaw asked, confused.

“Being a ShadowClan apprentice.” Dustpaw replied, leaping up onto a fallen tree in their path. Spiderpaw scrambled up after him, wanting to stay as close to her mentor as she could. She didn’t want to get lost in unknown territory.

“What’s it like being a ThunderClan apprentice?” She retorted as she leapt back onto the ground. 

Dustpaw bounded at her side, ignoring the tension in her response. “It’s great! Ivypool - she’s my mentor - taught me how to catch squirrels this morning!” He jerked his head back at the she-cat at the rear of the patrol, “I’ve always wanted to catch a squirrel. Mousewhisker told me he’s the best squirrel catcher in the Clan, but I bet I’ll be the next! Have you ever eaten squirrel? It’s my favorite!”

_ Are all ThunderClan cats this chatty?  _ She wondered to herself, trying to decide which question to respond to first. “No, I’ve never had squirrel. We don’t see many on ShadowClan territory.” Secretly, she was glad those furry creatures were rare on her own land. She couldn’t imagine biting through all that fluff.

“Ivypool says ShadowClan cats eat frogs. Is that true?” Dustpaw asked.

“Sometimes.” Spiderpaw responded, looking ahead to try and see if they were anywhere near the ThunderClan camp. Tigerheart and Lionblaze were talking quietly to each other, but she couldn’t see any signs of cats. Everything looked the same here, with the dense trees and undergrowth looming on all sides. “Newt is my favorite.” She mewed.

“Yuck!” Dustpaw stuck out his tongue, screwing up his face, “Why would you want to eat something as gross looking as that?”

_ Why would you want to eat something as gross looking as a squirrel?  _ She had to stop herself from speaking the words out loud. She would be in big trouble if she insulted a ThunderClan cat on his own territory. “They’re not so bad.” She offered patiently. “Have you ever caught one?”

“No way, yuck! ThunderClan apprentices aren’t taught to hunt things with scales.” Dustpaw explained, looking horrified by her suggestion.

_ They aren’t taught manners either. _ Spiderpaw thought, though she held her tongue.

“Why are you here, anyway?” Dustpaw pressed, glancing her way with a sudden seriousness. “Tigerheart says he wants to talk with Bramblestar. What about?”

Spiderpaw hesitated, wondering what to say. It would be rude not to answer, but she knew it wasn’t her place to tell an apprentice words that were meant for a Clan leader. She was saved from having to answer when Snowbird glanced over her shoulder. “Spiderpaw, come walk by me! The path is wider here.”

Relieved, she bounded forward to pad by her mentor’s side. “Thanks.” She breathed, earning a gentle flick over the ear with Snowbird’s tail. 

“We’re almost at the camp.” Lionblaze called to the patrol. Spiderpaw looked around, though the forest around just as dense and unwelcoming as it had before. She wondered where a whole Clan of cats could possibly live.

Suddenly, the golden tom ducked through a dense bramble thicket, the thorns snagging at his pelt as he shouldered his way through. Tigerheart hesitated before following him, cursing as the barbs scraped against his back.

Spiderpaw stopped, looking in disbelief at the tiny gap in the brambles. “We can’t go in there! We’ll be torn to shreds!”

“It’s not as narrow as it looks.” Ivypool padded up behind her, “You’ll be fine.”

Unconvinced, she watched as Snowbird squeezed into the tunnel, leaving tufts of white fur on the thorns. Hesitantly, Spiderpaw pushed her way through the brambles, hissing as they tugged uncomfortably on her thick fur. However, she realized that Ivypool was right. Though the tunnel was formed out of a barrier of thorns, generations of cats passing through had formed a neat passage into the camp. 

Her paws skimmed against the ground trodden flat by countless pawsteps, and she finally emerged into the camp, blinking in the fading sunlight. Her eyes flew open and she let out a gasp when she saw the ThunderClan camp.

She had expected a clearing encircled by a barrier of brambles like the ShadowClan camp. Instead, stone cliffs rose up on every side, towering high above the cat’s heads on all sides. The clearing was flat and sandy with only a few patches of grass growing in the center. The dens were formed from the branches of a birch tree that looked like it had fallen into the hollow many seasons ago.

Spiderpaw could see a den of brambles interwoven in the roots of the tree, the sounds of mewling kits coming from inside. She guessed it was the nursery. Farther along the tree trunk were other dens formed amongst the branches of the fallen birch. In the center of the clearing was a fresh kill pile, where a few cats were crouched eating their evening meal.

“I’ll let Bramblestar know you’re here.” Lionblaze informed them, bunching his muscles before leaping onto the side of the cliff face. As Spiderpaw watched, she realized that a path of ledges on the side of the cliff lead to a cave near the top, where Lionblaze paused before disappearing into the shadows.

“Bramblestar’s den is in a cave?” She asked. He must be very lonely, separated from the rest of the Clan. She knew Rowanstar had his own den in the ShadowClan camp, but it was near the warriors' den so he would always be around the other cats.

“Yes.” Tigerheart answered, though his eyes seemed to be searching the camp. His gaze fell on a gray she-cat who was crouched beside the fresh-kill pile.

She looked up, her blue eyes widening when she saw the ShadowClan patrol. The mouse she was eating fell from her jaws as she looked at them in surprise. “Tigerheart?”

Dustpaw broke away from the patrol and bounced across the clearing to her, his fur fluffed out with excitement. He looked so much like the she-cat that Spiderpaw assumed they must be kin.

“We captured a ShadowClan patrol invading our territory, Dovewing!” He mewed excitedly.

“Invading?” She asked, her eyes locked on Tigerheart, who was gazing back at her with an unreadable expression. She wrapped her tail around Dustpaw, pulling him closer and ignoring his muffled protests.

“We’ve come to speak to Bramblestar.” Tigerheart explained hesitantly, sounding choked. Spiderpaw tilted her head to the side, wondering why her father sounded so distant.

“Lionblaze told me.”

The patrol whipped around as a dark tabby tom jumped down from the cliff face. Spiderpaw’s eyes widened as she looked at him, realizing how much he looked like her father. He had the same broad shoulders and amber eyes. With a jolt, she remembered Tigerheart was his nephew. She glanced at Tawnypelt, and saw that they both had the same long, hooked claws. 

_ That means he’s my kin! _

“Greetings, Bramblestar.” Tigerheart mewed, finally dragging his gaze away from Dovewing. “I’m sorry for intruding on your territory.”

The tabby ThunderClan leader dipped his head, his eyes betraying no emotion. Spiderpaw was suddenly aware that several ThunderClan cats had gathered around them, looking suspiciously at the ShadowClan patrol. She recognized a few from the battle, though she didn’t know their names. She watched as Squirrelflight, the ThunderClan deputy, shouldered through the crowd to stand at her leader’s side.

“Why have you come?” She asked cooly, though Spiderpaw was aware of the hostility that sparked in her green eyes. She was suddenly hyper aware that they were in the camp of an enemy Clan.

Tigerheart held his head high as he faced the leader and deputy. “One of our warriors had been badly injured by a fox. Littlecloud is doing everything he can to help him, but it’s not enough.”

The hostility in Bramblestar’s gaze softened at Tigerheart’s words. He turned to a ginger-and-white she-cat, “Fetch Leafpool and Jayfeather.”

“I heard.”

Spiderpaw’s breath hitched in her throat as a tabby she-cat padded out from the crowd. Her amber eyes flashed with concern as she looked at Tigerheart, and Spiderpaw realized she must be Leafpool.

The ThunderClan medicine cat padded to her leader’s side, “Which cat?”

“Oakshade.” Tigerheart explained. “Rowanstar gave him his warrior name in case he dies, so he can go to StarClan as a warrior. He was injured protecting some of our kits from a fox.”

A few cats gathered around gasped, exchanging anxious looks. Leafpool dipped her head, “I saw him at Gatherings. He was a fine cat.”

“He  _ is _ a fine cat.” Tawnypelt corrected, stepping forward to face Bramblestar, her brother. “Littlecloud is determined to help him, but we need another medicine cat.”

“ _ What? _ ” A voice snapped from the back of the crowd and the cats parted to reveal a skinny silver tom. His blue eyes were narrowed as he stalked across the clearing to face the ShadowClan patrol. Spiderpaw immediately recognized him from stories, realizing he must be Jayfeather, the blind ThunderClan medicine cat.

“You can’t barge into our camp and take away one of our medicine cats!” Jayfeather hissed, glaring at the patrol in spite of his blindness.

“Hush, Jayfeather.” Bramblestar silenced him before turning to his sister, “How badly is he injured?”

Tawnypelt hesitated, obviously wondering how much she should reveal about their Clan’s weakness. After a moment she gave herself a shake before responding. “His front leg is mangled. He lost a lot of blood and he’s only a whisker-length from StarClan. Littlecloud remembered Cinderpelt’s injuries, and thought Leafpool might know how to help.”

Spiderpaw’s ears pricked at the mention of Cinderpelt. Like every Clan cat, she had heard many stories about the former ThunderClan medicine cat. She had been injured on the thunderpath as an apprentice, crippling her and tearing away her chance of ever becoming a warrior. She’d found her place in the Clan by becoming a medicine cat, and had died sacrificing herself for a litter of newborn kits. 

_ Just like Oakshade _ , She realized with a jolt. 

Sadness clouded Leafpool’s eyes, clearly remembering her former mentor. “He’s right.” She replied, “I can help.”

“What?” Jayfeather growled in exasperation, “You can’t leave your Clan to help a  _ ShadowClan _ cat!”

Leafpool jerked her head in his direction, baring her teeth. “Jayfeather, you know as well as I do that the medicine cat code tells us we must help any cat that needs us.”

The silver tom growled deep in his throat, but didn’t respond. Satisfied, Leafpool turned to look at Bramblestar, who was watching the altercation through narrowed eyes. “Please, Bramblestar, let me go.”

The ThunderClan leader hesitated. He was clearly torn between wanting to honor the warrior code by helping Oakshade and wanting to keep his medicine cat out of enemy territory. After a moment, he sighed, dipping his head in submission. “Okay, you may go.”

Jayfeather snorted in disbelief, whipping around and stalking across the clearing with bristling fur. He vanished behind a screen of hanging brambles into a cave on the far side of the camp, and Spiderpaw realized it must be the medicine den.

“Thank you, Bramblestar.” Tigerheart’s shoulders sagged with relief, “StarClan will honor you for your decision.”

Bramblestar held the warrior’s gaze for a moment before turning to Leafpool, who was pawing at the ground eagerly. “How long will you be gone?”

“I won’t be sure until I see his injuries for myself.” Leafpool explained, “Maybe a quarter moon.”

“A quarter moon?” A cream colored tom exclaimed, eyes wide with anger, “We’re supposed to go without our medicine cat for a quarter moon?”

Leafpool rolled her eyes, “Jayfeather will still be here, Berrynose. He is perfectly capable of taking care of the Clan in my absence. 

Berrynose snorted but didn’t respond, looking frustrated. 

The tabby medicine cat glanced at Spiderpaw, flicking her tail at the apprentice to beckon her forward. “You can help me bring herbs back to the ShadowClan camp. What’s your name?”

“Spiderpaw.” She replied, feeling slightly shy at being spoken to by such an important cat. 

“Okay, Spiderpaw.” Leafpool nodded, “Come with me.”

She followed Leafpool across the camp, relieved that the ThunderClan cats began to disperse now that the decision had been made. She glanced over her shoulder to see that Tigerheart had approached Dovewing and was talking to her in a low voice. She was too far away to hear his words, and shrugged. 

The two she-cats pushed past the screen of hanging brambles at the entrance to the medicine den. Spiderpaw looked around in awe at the small den, reveling in how different it was from the one in the ShadowClan camp. She could see a small pool of water at one end beside a pile of moss. A crack in the cave wall emitted the scents of many herbs, and Spiderpaw guessed it must be the herb store. 

Jayfeather was crouched beside the pool of water, soaking a ball of moss. He twitched his ears as they entered but didn’t speak. Spiderpaw’s gaze fell on a she-cat who was sitting in one of the nests on the wall of the den. She had dark brown fur and blue eyes that gleamed with interest when she saw Spiderpaw.

“Hello!” The she-cat greeted her, “I’m Briarlight.”

“Hello.” Spiderpaw answered, her gaze widening when she saw the she-cat drag herself out of her nest. Briarlight’s legs sprawled out uselessly behind her as the she-cat dragged herself forward by her forepaws. Snapping her gaze away so she wasn’t caught staring, she looked at Briarlight’s face to see the she-cats eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Don’t look so shocked,” She purred, “I was injured when the tree fell into the hollow. I live in the medicine den now.”

Spiderpaw tilted her head to the side, “Are you a medicine cat, too?”

Briarlight shook her head, “No way! I’m a warrior. Well - I used to be. I can’t perform my duties anymore, but I like to help out in the medicine den. I’ll always be a warrior at heart.”

Spiderpaw’s chest twisted with pity. Just like Cinderpelt, Briarlight’s dream of being a warrior had been stolen from her in a tragic accident. She wondered if Oakshade’s dream would be crushed in the same way.

She was distracted by her thoughts when Leafpool dropped a bundle of herbs at her paws, carefully wrapped in a dock leaf. “You can carry these, I’ll get the rest.” She mewed kindly.

Spiderpaw nodded and reached down to pick up the leaf wrap in her jaws. When Leafpool had grabbed her own bundle of herbs, they padded out of the den. A few cats were still gathered in the clearing, resting in the fading sunlight after eating their evening meal. Beside the cliffside, Squirrelflight was talking to a group of cats that Spiderpaw assumed must be the evening patrol. For a moment, she couldn’t see her father, then her gaze fell on the tabby tom standing beside the fresh-kill pile with Dovewing.

As she approached them, her father caught her eye and gestured with his tail for her to join them. She padded to his side and dropped the herb bundle at her paws, dipping her head respectfully to Dovewing. The gray she-cat blinked at her, a strange expression in her eyes.

“This is Spiderpaw, my daughter.” Tigerheart introduced her, laying his tail across Spiderpaw’s shoulders.

“It’s good to meet you, Spiderpaw.” Dovewing mewed, dipping her head to her. Spiderpaw wondered if she was imagining the strange glimmer of grief in the ThunderClan she-cat’s gaze. Dovewing raised her head and gestured with her tail to Dustpaw, who was rolling in the sandy clearing just a few pawsteps away. “You’ve met my son, Dustpaw.”

“Yes.” Tigerheart replied tensely. “He seems very… eager.”

“He is,” Dovewing purred, “He’ll make a good warrior.”

“I’m sure he will.”

Spiderpaw’s pelt pricked, trying to understand the tension between the two warriors. It sounded like they were walking on ice with their words, but she didn’t know why. A moment later, Leafpool caught up to them, placing her herb bundle on the ground beside Spiderpaw’s. “I’m ready to go.” She told Tigerheart.

The tabby tom nodded to her and then at Dovewing. “I’ll see you at the Gathering.” He mewed to the gray warrior, who nodded in response.

He gathered the rest of the ShadowClan cats around him as Bramblestar approached. The ThunderClan leader dipped his head to them, “Good luck, Tigerheart. May StarClan look over Oakshade and protect him.”

“They can look but we won’t let them take him yet.” Tigerheart replied with a lash of his tail. 

Saying goodbye to the ThunderClan cats, Tigerheart led their patrol and Leafpool out of the camp. Spiderpaw found herself walking beside Snowbird, her leaf bundle clasped in her jaws. As they headed back to their own territory, she glanced at her mentor.

“Will Leafpool be able to save Oakshade?” She asked, her mew muffled by the herbs in her jaws.

The white she-cat looked at her, her eyes softening as she looked at Spiderpaw. After a moment, she sighed, “I don’t know, Spiderpaw. StarClan willing, he might make it through.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm SO SORRY for not updating this story. I ended up getting really busy at the beginning of the year and never had time to continue. However, summer is finally here and I have time to continue writing! I really appreciate everyone who left comments and kudos on the last chapters and all the support I've gotten in my absence. 
> 
> So Spiderpaw finally got to meet Dustpaw and Dovewing! What do you think of their interactions? I had a lot of fun writing Dustpaw and I hope you all like his character so far.
> 
> I have a lot of plans for this story and really hope to get the next chapter out soon! Thank you for reading <3


	7. Chapter 7

An owl screeched somewhere deep in the pine forest, jerking Spiderpaw awake. She opened her eyes, squinting through the darkness of the apprentice’s den. Dawn was far away and the moon still hung high in the sky, casting a dim light through the branches of the den. 

Spiderpaw lifted her head and parted her jaws into a huge yawn, wincing as her whole body ached with tiredness. Fatigue made her head feel fuzzy but her sleep had been disturbed by nightmares of foxes and blood and Oakshade. 

After she and the rest of her patrol brought Leafpool to the camp the day before, Spiderpaw had paced in the clearing, too scared for Oakshade to even eat. Her paws had quickly grown heavy with tiredness and she was eventually ordered to rest by Snowbird after the long day. She’d been in her nest since dusk and, despite her exhaustion, found it hard to rest.

Mistpaw was curled in a mossy nest beside her, lightly snoring and purring in her sleep. Careful not to wake her, Spiderpaw silently rose to her paws and stepped out of her nest before squeezing through the den entrance. 

The edges of the clearing were hidden in shadow where the light from the moon didn’t reach, and Spiderpaw shivered at the cool breeze. It was still early in newleaf and the nights carried a chill that made her fur bristle. She arched her back in a long stretch before sitting down outside the den. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the gloom and she was able to see the entrance to the medicine den on the other side of the clearing.

A cat was crouched outside the den, his head resting on his paws as his eyes watched the entrance. Spiderpaw realized it was Rowanstar. Her heart ached for him, knowing how worried he was about his former apprentice. Rowanstar had been the one to mentor Oakshade and given the injured cat a place in the Clan after he came from twolegplace. Spiderpaw could only imagine his pain to watch the cat he had trained for moons be so close to death.

A rustle at the entrance to the camp caught her attention, and she leapt to her paws as four cats emerged into the clearing. She let out a sigh of relief when she recognized Crowfrost and Stoatfur, but she did not recognize the two cats they led into the camp behind them.

One was a skinny, mottled gray tom with white splotches. He carried a bundle of herbs in his jaws and his dark blue eyes were round with worry. Beside him was a beautiful, golden tabby she-cat. She had a triangular face and wide, amber eyes. As the cats entered the camp, Rowanstar scrambled to his paws and quickly crossed the clearing.

“Kestrelflight. Mothwing.” He greeted the gray tom and tabby she-cat respectfully, “Thank you for coming. 

Kestrelflight murmured greetings around the bundle of herbs in his mouth and Mothwing dipped her head. “We’re glad to help.”

Rowanstar lead the two cats back towards the medicine den, following them through the entrance as the fern fronds closed behind them. Crowfrost lingered in the clearing as Stoatfur stumbled towards the warrior’s den, paws heavy with tiredness.

Spiderpaw padded towards the Clan deputy, dipping her head to him. “Who are they?” She whispered, her voice echoing strangely in the deserted clearing. 

The black and white tom blinked at her before responding, “Medicine cats from WindClan and RiverClan. Rowanstar asked us to fetch more help for Oakshade.”

Dread weighed heavy in Spiderpaw’s belly at his words. Oakshade must be  _ really _ sick if medicine cats from all four Clans were needed to help him. She wanted to ask Crowfrost about Oakshade’s condition, but the deputy had already turned away and followed Stoatfur into the warrior’s den. 

She waited in the clearing for a while longer, watching as the shadows moved as the moon set. Her eyes felt heavy with weariness but her thoughts were racing with worry for Oakshade. She felt sick at the thought that he might die. After several moments, the entrance to the medicine den ruffled and Leafpool emerged, carrying something as limp as fresh kill in her jaws. It was too dark to see what it was, and Spiderpaw watched in silence as the ThunderClan medicine cat carried it out of the camp.

She returned a few moments later, her paws clotted with dirt that showed she had buried whatever it was. Spiderpaw raised herself to her paws and padded forward to intercept the medicine cat before she could return to the den. “How is he?” She whispered.

Leafpool blinked at her, exhaustion clouding her gaze, “He’s badly hurt.” She whispered back, her tail drooping, “I don’t know if he’ll make it through the night.”

Spiderpaw felt panic swell in her chest, “But surely four medicine cats can save him?”

“We’re doing everything we can.” Leafpool shook her head, “But we couldn’t save his injured leg. I buried it just outside of the camp.”

With a jolt Spiderpaw realized what the tabby medicine cat had been carrying. She suddenly felt sick. How could Oakshade survive without a leg? 

Leafpool blinked sympathetically, touching the apprentice’s flank with her tail. “His wounds are deep but his spirit is strong. Have faith in him and in StarClan.”

Spiderpaw hung her head. She wasn’t sure she wanted to have faith in StarClan after what had happened to her friend. She didn’t want them to take Oakshade from his clan just yet. He had only just become a warrior after working so hard to earn the trust of his clanmates. Surely he deserved better than to be killed by a fox.

“Get some rest.” The medicine cat advised, “You’ve had a long day.”

Spiderpaw watched as Leafpool padded back to the medicine den. The medicine cat was right - Spiderpaw would be of no use to Oakshade or her clan if she was too exhausted to keep up with her duties.

She slipped back into the apprentices den, comforted by the muffled snores and scents of her denmates. Sinking into her nest, she curled up against Mistpaw and allowed sleep to finally come.

* * *

It was just after dawn when she was awoken by her mentor calling her name from the clearing. Raising her head, she blinked sleep from her eyes and stretched her jaws into a massive yawn. Her body still ached with tiredness but her head felt clearer. As she looked around the den, she realized that she and Mistpaw were the only apprentices still in their nests.

“The others went out on the dawn patrol.” Mistpaw informed her. She was sitting up in her nest grooming her red fur, looking much more rested than Spiderpaw felt. 

Spiderpaw yawned again and stood up before giving her pelt a shake, trying to rid herself of her tiredness before the day’s training. She heard Snowbird call her name again and squeezed out of the den, blinking in the bright sunlight.

Her mentor was standing beside the fresh-kill pile and nodded as Spiderpaw padded up to her. “Did you find it hard to sleep?” She asked gently.

“A bit.” Spiderpaw responded, “I’m still so worried about Oakshade.”

Snowbird licked the top of her head, “StarClan will watch over him.”

The tabby apprentice nodded as Toadfoot padded up to them. “Is Mistpaw awake yet?”

“Yes.” Spiderpaw replied, flicking her ears in the direction of the den, “She was washing when I left.”

“She better hurry,” Toadfoot grumbled, sitting down and wrapping his tail around his paws, “We’re battle training with the older apprentices today.”

“Really?” Spiderpaw felt her weariness began to fade as excitement coursed through her. She’d had one-on-one battle training with Snowbird but now she was finally able to test out her skills in a real mock-battle! However, her excitement plummeted when she remembered Oakshade. Would he ever fight for his Clan again?

Before Toadfoot could respond, the entrance to the apprentices den rustled and Mistpaw bounded across the clearing towards them, her newly washed fur looking sleek. “Did I hear you right? We’re battle training? I can’t wait to beat Sparrowpaw!”

Toadfoot sighed dramatically, standing up and flicking his apprentice over the ear. “Remember he’s been training for two moons longer than you have. They’ll be made warriors soon and this is their chance to have their battle skills assessed.”

Mistpaw refused to be crushed by her mentor’s words, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “I learned all of Sparrowpaw’s tricks before he even left the nursery. He’ll be no match for me!”

“Come on then.” Snowbird mewed, her whiskers twitching with amusement. “They should be back from the dawn patrol by now and will be waiting for us in the training hollow.”

The four of them left the camp and headed through the trees toward the large hollow where the mentor’s trained their apprentices. As they walked, Mistpaw fell in beside Spiderpaw and nudged her shoulder. “You’re so lucky you got to visit ThunderClan yesterday. What was it like?”

“Strange.” She began, “They have so many trees and undergrowth, it’s so weird to think that cats live there. I was afraid of getting lost.”

“What were the cats like?”

“Even stranger. There was an apprentice - Dustpaw - who was more nosey than a kit! And their other medicine cat, Jayfeather, is so grumpy. Bramblestar was nice, though, even after the battle.”

“Did you find out why the battle happened?” Mistpaw pressed, “Like, did it seem like they had a reason to want to steal our territory?”

Spiderpaw was silent for a moment, thinking back on her visit to the ThunderClan camp. “I don’t know. They seemed very hostile, but they didn’t attack us. Jayfeather was furious that Leafpool wanted to come help Oakshade. Maybe he’s worried she’ll tell us their secrets.”

“Maybe she will.” Mistpaw teased as they reached the hollow, “ThunderClan cats have never been very smart.”

Spiderpaw snorted, stopping at the edge of the training hollow. It was a circular clearing among the trees, sloping down to make a hollow with short grass at the bottom. It was the perfect size for mentors to train their apprentices, and Spiderpaw had already been here when she practiced battle moves with Snowbird.

The other three apprentices - Finchpaw, Sparrowpaw, and Ravenpaw - were already there, tousling together in the center of the hollow. Their mentors, Tigerheart, Pinenose, and Tawnypelt, sat at the edge of the training ground, talking quietly together as they watched their apprentices. Snowbird and Toadfoot joined them, meowing greetings. Spiderpaw and Mistpaw lingered on the other side, suddenly unsure of what to do. They had never trained with the other apprentices before, and Spiderpaw was a bit nervous to fight the bigger cats.

Tigerheart rose to his paws and padded to the center of the clearing, flicking his tail for the apprentices to break up their play fight. “Honestly, any cat would think the three of you are still kits.” His voice was stern but his eyes sparkled with amusement.

“Sorry, Tigerheart,” Finchpaw, his apprentice, dipped her head and her littermates did the same.

The large tabby tom nodded and raised his gaze to Spiderpaw and Mistpaw, gesturing with his tail for them to join them in the hollow. 

“For today’s training exercise, the three oldest apprentices  are going to test their defensive moves while being attacked by the two younger apprentices at the same time.” He explained.

Spiderpaw’s eyes widened. That was some advanced training! She couldn’t imagine taking on two cats yet, but the older apprentices looked ready for the challenge. She couldn’t help but admire their lean muscles and eagerness for battle. They looked like warriors already.

“Sparrowpaw, you first.” Tigerheart gestured towards the golden tom as he lead Sparrowpaw’s sisters to the edge of the hollow. “The two of you,” He nodded to Mistpaw and Spiderpaw, “Use the attack moves you’ve learned from your mentors to try and pin him down. Remember, this is a training exercise, so keep your claws sheathed and your blows light.”

Swallowing nervously, Spiderpaw turned to face Sparrowpaw, who was crouched in a defensive stance. He bared his teeth at her, his eyes flicking from her to Mistpaw. She exchanged a glance with Mistpaw and tensed her muscles before they both leapt at the older apprentice.

She let out a squeak of alarm as her paws landed on bare earth where Sparrowpaw had been crouched a moment before. Mistpaw lost her footing and fell onto her side before scrambling to her paws, looking bewildered. “Where’d he go?”

“Behind you, mouse-brain!” 

They whipped around to see the bigger apprentice standing on the other side of the hollow, his pelt unscathed and eyes mocking. Spiderpaw narrowed her eyes. She would have to think differently if she was going to outwit him. She fixed her gaze on his golden shoulders before she leapt again. Sparrowpaw sidestepped and she flew past him, her paws skidding on the sandy ground. As she turned to strike, she saw Mistpaw take advantage of the distraction to leap onto his back. Sparrowpaw’s eyes widened as she bowled him over, but he was quick to recover. Instead of trying to get back on his paws, he rolled onto his back, squashing Mistpaw beneath him.

“Oof!” Mistpaw gasped and the older apprentice rolled away with a hiss of satisfaction. Spiderpaw slithered forward and aimed a sharp blow to the back of his front legs, knocking them out from under him. He staggered, surprised, but kept his footing. He turned on her and swiped at her shoulder, landing the blow. 

Caught off balance, Spiderpaw swayed, lashing her tail to keep herself upright. Sparrowpaw whipped around and raised himself onto his hind paws, pushing her back with swipes from his raised forepaws.

One blow struck her ear and she tried to counter the attack by raising a forepaw, but she clumsily fell onto her side. Sparrowpaw dropped onto all fours and flicked his tail in satisfaction. 

“Well done, Sparrowpaw!” Tawnypelt congratulated her apprentice, and the other mentors and apprentices joined in with praise.

Mistpaw and Spiderpaw pulled themselves to their paws, shaking the dust from their pelts. 

Mistpaw’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the golden apprentice. “You’re  _ good! _ ” She mewed. Spiderpaw rolled her eyes, wondering if she looked that moony when she talked to Oakshade.

“Thanks.” Sparrowpaw meowed, looking smug. He padded to the edge of the clearing where he sat down beside his mentor. 

Tigerheart nudged Finchpaw into the center of the hollow. “Your turn.”

They trained until well after sunhigh, and Spiderpaw ached from nose to tail-tip, though her head buzzed with all she had learned. Even though the older apprentices were the ones testing their defense moves, she had worked out quite a few attack moves to use in the future. She and Mistpaw had been able to pin down Finchpaw once, but the apprentice quickly threw them off. Ravenpaw had been harder to beat, almost as good as her brother.

The three older apprentices were bouncing ahead of the patrol as they headed back to camp, not tired at all from the strenuous training. Spiderpaw felt very battered in comparison.

“Don’t worry.” Snowbird mewed into her ear, almost as if she could read her apprentice’s mind, “You’ll get stronger with training. One day you’ll be able to beat even Sparrowpaw.”

Spiderpaw nodded gratefully at her mentor as they entered the camp. Her clanmates were scattered around the clearing, tucking into their afternoon meals and sharing tongues with one another. She and the other apprentices headed towards the fresh-kill pile while their mentors discussed their progress with one another. She took two newts from the pile, swinging by their tails in her mouth.

The five of them sat outside the apprentices den to eat together. She felt Oakshade’s absence like a pang in her stomach and glanced across the camp at the medicine den, wanting desperately to visit him. She wondered if she’d be able to after she ate.

“Great training session today.” Ravenpaw mewed as she munched on a thrush, “You two are going to be great fighters by the time you’re made warriors.”

Spiderpaw lowered her head in embarrassment and Mistpaw’s tail curled over her back in delight. “Hopefully as good as you!” Spiderpaw noticed she was looking at Sparrowpaw when she spoke.

The golden tom was digging into a mouse and didn’t acknowledge her words. Spiderpaw wished that Mistpaw would at least have a crush on a cat who wasn’t so full of himself.

After she ate her newts, she sat up and began to groom herself. She didn’t want to look disheveled and dirty when she went to visit Oakshade. She was licking the fur along her spine when she saw the entrance of the medicine den shiver and the four medicine cats padded out, looking exhausted. She realized they must not have slept at all.

Rowanstar was the first to spring to his paws when he saw them, crossing the clearing to meet them at the fresh-kill pile. “How is he?” His deep voice shook.

Littlecloud, his tail drooping with exhaustion, looked up at his leader. “We’ve done everything we could. We had to chew through the last remaining tendons in his shoulder and he lost the leg entirely.”

Gasps of shock echoed through the clearing and Spiderpaw realized that she was the only one who had known about Oakshade losing his leg. She pricked her ears as Littlecloud continued.

“We’ve put poultices on his wounds to stop the bleeding and prevent any infection, but the wound on his shoulder worries us the most. Our herbs can only do so much.” Littlecloud sat down, sighing with exhaustion.

Rowanstar nodded and raised his voice to address the whole Clan. “I’d like to thank Leafpool, Mothwing, and Kestrelflight for coming here to help Oakshade. You have done so much to save his life and we are all immeasurably grateful. The four of you must get some rest, so that you do not fall ill as well.”

“Oakshade needs constant supervision.” Leafpool protested, “We need to be there if his condition worsens.”

Suddenly, Spiderpaw saw her chance. “I’ll sit with him.” She called.

The four medicine cats turned to look at her, and she could see the weariness in their eyes. Leafpool blinked and dipped her head. “Thank you.” She purred.

“Please, eat.” Rowanstar gestured to the fresh-kill pile with his tail. “Then get some rest. Spiderpaw can sit with him until moonhigh, and then I’ll take over.”

As the four medicine cats took prey from the pile, Spiderpaw bounded across the clearing to the medicine den entrance. She pushed through the ferns and into the den that was beneath the branches of an overhanging bramble bush.

Her eyes fell on a dark brown bundle of fur sprawled in a nest near the back of the den. As she neared, she saw that Oakshade was covered in sharp-smelling poultices and cobwebs to keep the herbs in place. He was unconscious, and his breathing was slow and shallow. Her breath caught in her throat as she gazed at his shoulder. The place where his shoulder and leg had once been was stripped of fur and sunken in. Cobwebs and herbs were slathered over the wound and she could still see tiny beads of blood that soaked through the wrapping. 

Suddenly she realized that Oakshade would never be a warrior. Without his leg, he would never walk properly again. Never hunt. Never fight. She could almost wail aloud at the waste. 

Careful not to disturb him, she curled in the nest beside him, pressing her fur against his. Her eyes rested on his sleeping form and she listened to the sound of his breathing until the light faded from the den as the sun set. She could hear the sounds of her clanmates retreating to their dens to sleep, and her body still ached with the long day of training, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away from her friend.

As the last of the light faded away into the night, Oakshade stirred. She watched as his eyes slowly opened, blinking as though he found it hard to drag himself from sleep. She could see pain in his eyes, but confusion as well as he looked around the den without lifting his head. Finally, his eyes landed on her, and widened when she realized she was in the nest beside him.

“Spiderpaw?” He croaked, his voice shaky with pain and tiredness. 

“It’s okay.” She soothed, stroking his flank with her tail. She started to rise to her paws, “I’ll get Littlecloud.”

“Wait.” He stopped her as she stepped out of the nest, “What happened?”

She turned to look at him, her eyes wide with pity. “Do you remember the fox?”

Oakshade’s eyes unfocused as he recalled the memory. He appeared to shudder before blinking the memory away. “It attacked me. The kits… are they okay?”

“They’re fine. They’re in the nursery with Dawnpelt.” Spiderpaw replied, sitting down beside him, her heart aching as she knew the question that would come next.

“W-Why can’t I feel my leg?” He gasped, shifting in his nest.

She rested a paw on his flank to steady him. “Don’t get up. You were very badly injured. I should get Littlecloud.”

“Spiderpaw.” His voice was stronger now, demanding. “What happened to me?”

She felt a knot form in her throat, trying to force the words out. “I-I’m sorry… Oakshade, I’m so sorry.”

His eyes were round with confusion, unable to understand her words. She had no choice but to break his heart.

“Your leg… it was badly injured.” She whispered, “They had to remove it.”

The despair in his eyes almost made her want to wail in pain. She knew he had always dreamed of nothing more than being a ShadowClan warrior. And now it seemed that dream was over.

“I… I’ll never walk again, will I?” He whispered almost inaudibly.

“No.” She replied. “I’m so sorry, Oakshade. You’ll never be a warrior.”

 


End file.
